Downtown Doors open for local student artists

This year’s Downtown Doors saw almost as many entries as there have been winners in the competition’s 16-year history.

The contest drew entries from 206 students at 22 schools, vying for the honor of having their artwork digitized, transferred to vinyl coating and affixed to service doors and utility boxes in downtown San Jose. The 20 student artists whose works were chosen this year join 292 past winners of Downtown Doors, which began in 2003 under the auspices of the San Jose Downtown Foundation.

“All of you are helping to make downtown more urban and hip,” downtown San Jose City Councilman Raul Perez told the winners assembled at a May 9 reception at the San Jose Museum of Art. “Your creativity and innovative spirit are lifting up San Jose.”

“I AM the ARTIST,” a surreal portrait by Bellarmine College Preparatory student Nathan Hayes, will be adding a hipster vibe to the utility box on the southeast corner of San Pedro and Santa Clara streets, while “The Absence,” a more traditional portrait by Pioneer High School junior Megan Huddlestun, will add color to the urban environment on a door facing the parking lot behind The Studio Climbing at 396 S. First Street at San Salvador.

Three works by Lincoln High School students made the cut in this year’s Downtown Doors. “Grandpa’s Legacy” by sophomore Gibson Davis will adorn a door on the South Second Street side of the Pavilion building, between San Fernando Street and Paseo de San Antonio.

Junior Laela Keo’s “Journey” will be on view on a door at the Hilton San Jose, 300 Almaden Blvd., while senior Nancy Urbina’s “Migration” will be placed just up the street at the Hyatt Place.

In addition to having their artwork displayed, the Downtown Doors winners will each receive $300, Adobe Photoshop software and a membership to the San Jose Museum of Art.