The Japantown Mural Project is a celebration of the vibrancy of San Jose's historic Japantown neighborhood through artworks by 50 local artists.
The environment is a barren, undeveloped plot of land that once served as the City of San Jose's Maintenance Yard. Chain-link fencing is now covered with more than 60 large mesh panels of color.
It stretches a quarter of a city block along 6th and Jackson Streets in the heart of Japantown.
The subject matter is highly interpretive, including personal and commissioned works, and encompasses a wide variety of mediums and aesthetics. It also includes references to the site's former life; 100 years ago,
it was one of San Jose's very first Chinatown settlements known as 'Heinlenville.' A majority of the artists maintain art studios in Japantown, have displayed their artwork in neighborhood galleries, or consider this wonderful place their home.
The Japantown Mural Project is truly representative of its own unique community and will be enjoyed and appreciated for years to come.
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The Artwork
This piece was done on three separate canvas panels with acrylics and india ink.
Biography
Steve began skating at age 12. After skating a little over a year, he was sponsored as an amateur by Powell Peralta in 1978, a relationship that continues to this day. He turned pro with in 1980 at the Gold Cup series in Oasis.
Steve has had a storied and innovative career for over 30 years. He invented both the Caballerial (fakie 360 ollie) and the frontslide slide and roll, and once held the world record for his 11 foot backside airs on a ten foot vert ramp. He's won contests in bowls, street, vert, and park, and continues to do so, scoring big wins in 2010 and 2011 in at the Pro-Tec Pool Party and Vans Bowl-A-Rama.
In an environment where many pros will jump from team to team, Steve Caballero's tenure with his sponsors has remarkable longevity, riding for Powell for over 30 years and Vans for over 20.
Having been born in the year of the dragon, many of Steve's most iconic pro model boards with Powell had a dragon theme beginning in 1980. In 1988 he joined Vans and a year later became the second pro skater ever with a pro signature model. In 1992 a low top version, the Half-Cab debuted continuing the longest-running endorsed shoe franchise in skateboarding history.
In 1999 he was named Thrasher's Skater of the Century. In December of 2010 he was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.
Steve currently lives in Campbell, CA with his wife Rachel and their three kids. When not skateboarding, Steve enjoys riding motocross. He also collects and restores classic american cars, primarily hot-rods and trucks whose influence can be seen in much of the art he creates as well as on the graphics of many of his decks.
Japantown Community Congress of San Jose · Office of the Consulate General of Japan · Wesley United Methodist Church
Jack's Bar & Lounge · Dr. Stephani Nguyen of Japantown Dental · Kay's Shiseido · Dr. Jerrold Hiura & Lucia Cha
Contemporary Asian Theater Scene · Japantown Neighborhood Association · Union Bank of California · Chris & Minako Tsuji
Japanese American Museum of San Jose · Yu Ai Kai Senior Center · Banana Crepe · Halcrow Partners · Pan Pacific Bank · Alex Alsorady & Darcie Kiyan
Sophie Horiuchi Forrester · Helen Hayashi · Roy & PJ Hirabayashi · Aggie Idemoto · Reiko Iwanaga · Jeanne Katsuro · Tamon Norimoto · Kristin Okimoto
Jeffrey Oldham · John Ristow · Rev. Gerald & Kathy Sakamoto · Victoria Taketa · Leah Toeniskoetter · Joe Yasutake
Japantown Community Congress of San Jose · The City of San Jose Arts Commission · Dr. Jerrold Hiura · The Rast Family
Corinne Okada Takara · Ruth Tunstall-Grant · Cherri Lakey · DJ Ashford
Empire Seven Studios · The Arsenal · Sign-a-Rama of Downtown San Jose
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