☆ “A window into so many different worlds”: Why Silicon Valley resonates so strongly with local artists (3/4)
Flyer from 2019 SJ Public Library exhibit. Image by Suzanne Lopez and Maria Herrera.
There’s a whole lot to love about the Valley of Heart’s Delight: bustling energy, bright discoveries, and the vibrant “buzz” of thinkers working (and failing) and learning together. Hear from more Silicon Valley artists, below. An Opp Now exclusive roundup. Part 3.
Kiana Honarmand, local visual artist, Silicon Valley Artist Laureate: My favorite thing about Silicon Valley is its incredible diversity. It’s a place where I can meet people from all over the world, gain insights into their cultures and worldviews, and experience their food and traditions. It’s like having a window into so many different worlds.
Lauren Toomer, local figurative artist, Stanford University art and art history lecturer: One evening, as I was leaving Stanford’s campus, I glanced out my car window and saw a woman picking up a leaf—one that held every hue within autumn’s reach. She cradled it like a handheld device, studying it intently, as though each vein contained a coded secret waiting to be revealed.
Moments like these rarely come to mind when people envision the bustling energy of Silicon Valley, yet for me, it captures the region’s enchanting landscape and spirit—a fertile ground where imagination blooms.
Silicon Valley is continuously brimming with moments of discovery, visionaries, and bold thinkers. While a leaf may not be the next “it” item, what I witnessed that day deeply inspired me. As an artist and educator, being surrounded by such fearless curiosity is truly invigorating—and one of the things I cherish most about this region.
Esther Young, local songwriter and performer, 2024 Content Emerging Artist Award recipient: In the many scenes of Silicon Valley, my favorite is the multicultural pocket where immigrant and first-generation dreamers & doers merge our stories. We weigh our privileges and our losses, and swim upcurrent against more convenient lives. Our parents worked their 9-5s and returned home to feed us, scolding us in languages our friends didn’t know. They left Sundays open for church, the flea market, or both. Barely now retiring, they look at us with equal parts pride and doubt.
We don’t own any property here, but we attain happiness in our passion pursuits. After our responsible 9-5s, we work our creatives 5-9s, staying up late making things no one asked for. Our lives are crammed, but we move with marked intent, necessary resourcefulness, and genre-diverse, multilingual soundtracks that accompany us from point A to C. We feel and question constantly, the spikes in the buzz of the Silicon Valley.
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