First Friday Art Walk and Tribute Trami Cron, Founder Chopsticks Alley

First Friday Art Walk: A Celebration of Art, Culture & Community featuring traditional Indian and Khmer (Cambodian Dance) and celebration! Join Chopsticks Alley Art for a very special First Friday Art Walk celebrating art, culture, movement, and community. The evening will feature a Tribute to Founder Trami Cron as she prepares for her next chapter, a dance choreography collaboration, a live art demonstration, and an exhibition. Hosted by Esther Young Kolam Art Demonstration by Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham Discover the beauty of Kolam, a traditional South Indian art form in which intricate geometric patterns are created by hand using rice flour or powder. Watch the artwork unfold and learn about the cultural traditions and meaning behind this beautiful practice. A Tribute to Trami Cron, Founder of Chopsticks Alley Art We will come together for a special tribute to Trami Cron, celebrating her vision, leadership, and years of dedication to building Chopsticks Alley Art into a space where artists, cultures, and communities can be seen, heard, and connected. As Trami prepares to pass the torch to a new generation of leadership, we invite our artists, friends, partners, supporters, and Chopstickers who have been part of this journey to join us in celebrating all that we have created together—and what is still to come. A dance choreography collaboration: • Traditional Khmer (Cambodian) Dance featuring Ryan Boun Experience the beauty and storytelling of Cambodian dance, where movement, gesture, and tradition come together to preserve and celebrate Khmer culture. • Mohiniyattom Dance featuring Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham Enjoy a vibrant performance highlighting the expressive movement, rhythm, and rich storytelling traditions of Indian dance. Come for the art. Stay for the performances. Celebrate culture, community, and a new chapter for Chopsticks Alley Art. Food and drinks will be provided. Free and open to the public. All are welcome! -------------- On View "Flavors of the Diasporas: A Culinary Journey of Belonging" Exhibition Food carries memory. A familiar scent can recall a childhood moment, a dish can bring back a person or place, and a recipe passed through generations can keep traditions alive. This exhibition brings together artists from Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Iran, and India who now call the Bay Area home. What begins with food expands into an exploration of cultural memory, migration, identity, and belonging. For some artists, food is central to the work. Eileen Wong Cervera draws on the flavors and memories of her journey from Sarawak to San Jose, while VC Tang connects food, ritual, and cultural memory. Hadi Aghaee reflects on identity and human experience through figurative and surreal painting. Hang Huynh draws from Vietnamese heritage, family, and healing. Justin Tran uses film and visual storytelling to explore people, places, and connection, while Pragati Sharma Mohanty carries Indian myths and cultural stories across generations. Ryan Boun and Saraswathy Lakshmivaraham preserve and reinterpret cultural traditions through dance and the body. Together, the artists invite us on a multisensory journey through food, movement, image, sound, and story, revealing the many ways we carry culture with us and make a place our own. Program starts at 7 pm (The gallery will be open from 1-9 pm) Exhibition on View from October 2, 2026 - February 5, 2027 Chopsticks Alley Art Gallery 38 S. 2nd Street, San Jose, CA 95113 ChopsticksAlleyArt.org Gallery Hours: • Fri 1 – 6 pm | First Fri 1 – 9 pm • Sat 12 – 4 pm • Guided Tours Available by Appointment Funded in part by: • Applied Materials Foundation • Makahakama FoundationPackard Foundation • Applied Materials Foundation • Packard Foundation • Silicon Valley Community Foundation • SVCREATES, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara • California Arts Council, a state agency Parking: Street parking or paid parking across the street from the location. 90 minutes free parking in City Parking lots - Info: https://parksj.org/