August 9, 2024 Sal Pizarro, San Jose Mercury News Excerpt

TALKING ART >> If you’ve ever wondered how public art gets chosen in Los Altos, or what some of it even means, you should head to the Los Altos History Museum on Aug. 15. That’s when Maddy McBirney and Karen Zucker, co-directors of Arts Los Altos, will lead a conversation about public art, and they are hoping that audience members come prepared with questions, ideas and even gripes.

“We want to encourage people to interact by sharing their ideas about public art, rather than just presenting information,” McBirney said. “Attendees are invited to bring their own questions and share their thoughts on what public art they like and don’t like.”

The discussion is part of the museum’s Conversations and Reflections series and is in conjunction with the exhibition “Expressions: Multicultural Artists Showcase,” on display through Sept. 15. The upstairs Geschke Gallery will have video walls filled with images of artwork including drone shots of downtown Los Altos’ 13 pieces of public art. Attendees also will get a downtown public art map used for guided walking tours, which Arts Los Altos offers on the first Friday of every month at 5 p.m.

“Arts Los Altos: Connecting Community with Public Art,” starts at 5:30 p.m. at 51 S. San Antonio Road. Tickets are $15 (free for members), and more information is available at losaltoshistory.org/ArtsLosAltosConnecting.

BOOK REPORTING >> Santa Clara’s Northside Branch Library is celebrating its 10th birthday Saturday with a storytime, photo booth and a book sale by the Santa Clara City Library Foundation and Friends. It runs from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the library at 695 Moreland Way.

Contact Sal Pizarro at spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com.