☆ Fourteen local artists, writers, and performers on what makes Silicon Valley unique—and unforgettable (all parts together)
Peter Theony: Things left unsaid, 2015.
If you live in the Valley, you’ve certainly felt its spirited je ne sais quoi in the air. But—dare we try to define the sublime—what exactly distinguishes Silicon Valley from CA, from the world? To welcome New Year ‘25, a medley of creative leaders exalted the Valley’s beauty, diversity, and tenacity in this Opp Now exclusive (series consolidated below).
Elizabeth Gomez, local painter, Silicon Valley Artist Laureate: My most favorite, distinctive thing about Silicon Valley besides its natural beauty, with so many hikes, hills and oak trees, is the magnificent blend of diverse cultural heritages. I particularly enjoy the Asian and Latinx presence evidenced by delicious foods, colorful festivals, and deep-rooted arts. As a Mexican American artist, I feel at home here. There is a fabulous celebration of Día de Los Muertos in Redwood City. If you have not been to it before, I strongly recommend that you join us next Fall!
Jezrael Gandara, local filmmaker, Silicon Valley Artist Laureate: I'm originally from Texas and came out here five years ago. What resonated with me about Silicon Valley was the people.
Living on the east side of San Jose in particular, I'm surrounded by many different cultures, some similar to my Latino/Mexican cultures; and that's the beauty of it. It makes the city stand out more. In a rich landscape of technology and business, I believe the people are what make Silicon Valley special.
My films are inspired by people and identity and especially my own roots as a Mexican American, as well as the neighborhood I live in. And they usually have characters or messages that people in my neighborhood can relate to, while also trying to break the stereotypes of Latinos in certain roles. In Silicon Valley, I get the most artistic inspiration from the people around me.
David Denny, local poet, Silicon Valley Artist Laureate: Tonight, as I step outside, the gibbous moon shines brightly upon my patio. From the crown of the Sand Pines beyond our Redwood fence comes the hoot of our neighborhood Great Horned Owl. Soon the coyotes will emerge from their den; around midnight we will hear their yips and yowls—one or more of them might howl his location to the rest of his suburban pack. In daylight, we hear from the Spotted Towhee, the House Finch, the American Crow. Above it all, the Red-tailed Hawk and her mate patrol their domain. I hear that humans also live in this valley.
Emanuela Harris-Sintamarian, local visual artist, San Jose City College and San Jose State University art professor, Silicon Valley Artist Laureate:
What I really like and have found not only welcoming but also gratifying is how diverse Silicon Valley is. You find this fascinating mélange between east and west cultures—not just the United States' east and west coasts, but western and eastern worlds. Silicon Valley's aesthetic is also affected by the tech.
There are many, multifaceted artist opportunities in Silicon Valley. Here, art has more of a presence than in many other states (and art in every form: visual arts, theater, etc.).
I remember moving to California—like any other European, I dreamed of living in CA—and my initial thought was to move to Los Angeles, where I'd been accepted in several schools. In LA, they generally view the Bay Area as a small province. But after moving here myself, I realized it's so much more than that.
As someone who grew up in a communist country, it's easy for me to contrast that enclosed, rigid way of thinking with Silicon Valley's diversity and experimentation. If you're from here and have only lived here, you may not realize how awesome it is.
Judy Thompson-Melanson, local painter: Silicon Valley is a massively attractive state-of-mind, creative at its core, drawing to itself original thinkers from across the world. Steve Jobs used the phrase “artiste engineer,” holding the view that both artists and engineers are driven by the need for self-expression, and their work can intertwine.
Having lived in both Silicon Valley worlds, transitioning from art to technology to art, I have come to appreciate how porous the line is that separates them, so much thriving and overlap. Among the spectacular technological inventions tied to Valley companies are clusters of artists and hotspots from which emerge imaginative art made from traditional and invented technologies and impossibly beautiful landscape paintings that could only be made in admiration of such a rich and diverse terrain.
As an artist, it is the creative intelligence of the Valley, its jinn, that holds me happily in its thrall.
Aldo Billingslea, Santa Clara University acting and performance studies professor, Silicon Valley Artist Laureate: During the pandemic, I was doing some work with Facebook and Google online through a consulting firm called Strictly Speaking Group. In one of our discussions, someone new to the area said that what they found most remarkable throughout the various companies they had worked with in the Valley was a sense that there was a way past any obstacle—it’s just that we hadn’t always thought of it yet. That seems to be distinctly Silicon Valley, and it’s one of my favorite features about our region.
Parthenia Hicks, Robinson Jeffers Tor House poet, Los Gatos Poet Laureate emeritus: There was a time I wouldn’t have hesitated to describe the sheer beauty of this blossoming Valley of Heart’s Delight, as it was once called, as the perfect balm to fill a hollow heart on uncertain days. Alas, the orchards have receded into memory. Can anything replace or equal the allure of Mother Earth’s beauty? Well, maybe not.
But what comes close for me is the diverse mixture of cultures, languages, artistic expression, and the wide avenues for enriching my perspective on almost any topic that comes to mind, not to mention my circle of friends. Within minutes, I can find a voice that differs completely from my own and therefore offers me the opportunity for energetic exchange—to agree, disagree, collaborate, and ultimately widen my esthetic and philosophical vistas. The spirited high I get from living in such a richly diverse environment is my go-to favorite thing about Silicon Valley.
Rachel Tirosh, local painter: What I love most about Silicon Valley is its ability to inspire reinvention and creativity. When I first visited in 1991, I was captivated by its cultural diversity and opportunities, especially in high-tech. As an electrical engineer from a small Israeli suburb, relocating to Silicon Valley in 1994 felt like a dream come true.
What began as an 18-month assignment turned into a lifelong journey, with my family and me settling in Sunnyvale. Over time, I discovered Silicon Valley isn’t just about technology—it’s a place for personal transformation. After years in engineering, I transitioned to non-representational abstract and interdisciplinary conceptual art, drawn to its freedom and creativity.
Becoming an artist was life changing. I immersed myself in the Bay Area art scene, exhibited my work widely, and pursued an MFA in Fine Art. Despite challenges like high living costs, Silicon Valley’s vibrant community, energy, and exceptional climate make it an inspiring home.
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.
Aaron Lington, local composer, San Jose State University music professor, Silicon Valley Artist Laureate: When one thinks of Silicon Valley, the images that usually come to mind are tech, innovation, startups, etc. And yes, this is all true; however, innovation and imagination are not limited only to the tech sector. I am surrounded daily in my work by motivated, hardworking, innovative, and imaginative creatives in the arts sector who continuously inspire me with their tenacity, beauty, and insight. These artists are influenced by the myriad of rich cultures who make Silicon Valley their home, and it makes me proud to call it my home, as well. Thus, I would have to say that my favorite, most distinctive thing about Silicon Valley are the artists who live here.
Joshua Santos, The San Jose Blog head: In the heart of Silicon Valley, where innovation is as common as morning coffee, one thing stands out more than the rest: the relentless spirit of entrepreneurship. Here in San Jose, and across the Valley, every mom-and-pop shop, bar, garage, and co-working space buzzes with the energy of people daring to dream big.
It's not just the tech giants like Apple or Google that define this place, but the countless startups and small businesses, each with a vision to change their communities and the world. This culture of innovation, where failure is seen not as a setback but as a step towards success, is uniquely Silicon Valley. It’s this optimistic, "fail fast, learn faster" mindset that fuels the Valley, making it not just a tech hub, but a breeding ground for ideas that shape our future at every level.
Kathryn Dunlevie, local visual artist, Silicon Valley Artist Laureate: For me, the most enjoyable thing about living in Silicon Valley is interacting with people from so many different cultures. All the diverse perspectives and new ideas have created an environment that encourages originality and daring. People here are not afraid to try new things.
New arts venues, new restaurants, and new business models are popping up all the time. One brilliant example of this is Daniel Garcia’s Content Magazine. A nonprofit quarterly print publication from SVCreates, it features the innovative and creative people of Silicon Valley—and inspires its readers to join in the innovation and creativity!
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