Haley Cardamon, Executive Producer and Founder

With passion for her hometown, Haley has been an active participant in the San Jose arts and culture community since 2017. Her efforts through BACK Magazine, San Jose Day, nonprofit leadership with Local Color, and in general leading as a connector between creatives and opportunities. The foundation for her creative career has always been centered around helping others succeed by fostering connections. As Executive Producer and Founder of San Jose Day, her ultimate goal is to uplift and preserve San Jose culture, in the ever-changing silicon valley culture.

Alejandro Berber, Content Manager ; Better Than Good Enough, Creative Director

I am Alejandro, aka Alex Knowbody. A Photographer + Creative Director from the East of San José. I have been in the game for over 10 years with plenty of experience gained from working with the community as well as big corporations. I am a full-time creative based in the Bay Area.

Jorge “J.Duh” Camacho, Artist

Jorge”J.Duh” Camacho is a first generation Nicaragüenses artist/illustrator/muralist who grew into wearing these hats being self/community-taught. The San José born and raised artist uses the symbiotic duality of his creative process —fine art versus street— to create unique, vibrant, and witty works of art. Jorge has ample experience in large scale interior/exterior murals, signage, design, apparel design, curating DIY art shows and more.

You can find his work at places such as Bloomingdales (Valley Fair Mall), Eastridge Mall, Yahoo! (San José Campus), San José Giants Stadium, Oracle (San José Campus), POW!WOW! SAN JOSE, Nutanix (San José Campus), City of Palo Alto, California’s Great America, Voyager Coffee, Chromatic Coffee, Five Points Bar, MiniBoss, San Pedro Social, Depot St. Pizza (Morgan Hill), UPROAR BREWERY, Slice Of Homage, and more. 

Carman Gaines, Grant Success Partner ; Local Color Associate Director

Building bridges between the love of art and the support of the local art community. Carman Gaines blends their journeys in analog photography with their role as an arts administrator to uplift and empower local artists in San José. Currently, Carman works as the Associate Director with Local Color, an art nonprofit in San José, connecting artists with essential resources, opportunities, and creative hubs to bring their visions to life. They are alumni of De Anza College, San Francisco State University, and the ninth Emerging Arts Professional and SVCreates' SVMindshare Cohorts.

Culture Night Market, Vendor Liaison

Culture Night Market is a grass-roots community initiative that started in response to COVID-19. The community marketplace is built around culture and uplifting creativity, it was designed to push group economics, keep the stream of income in our local communities, and uplift our rich diverse culture in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose, CA.  Our event offers a safe space for gathering, where people can celebrate the distinct culture of San Jose through food, art, and music. This event is designed to empower our small businesses, local entrepreneurs & artists by keeping the income stream within our community. We started this event in response to the financial crisis from the impact of COVID-19 in early October 2020.

Esther Young, Community Events Coordinator, School of Arts and Culture at MHP

The School of Arts and Culture (SOAC) is a cultural institution in East San José that activates the Mexican Heritage Plaza with a mission to catalyze creativity and empower community. As an events facilitator for SOAC, Esther works with a variety of program partners, matching organizers with discounted rental rates to support engagement efforts and services that serve surrounding communities. As a freelance writer, she has profiled many artists and creatives in the South Bay, and is passionate about local engagement. Esther is also a singer-songwriter with several projects streamable online.

Zuri Lazare, Community Events Curator

Originally from South Sacramento, Zuri made her way to San Jose to attend SJSU, graduating with a BA in Marketing. Zuri is the founder of Intentional Affair (@intentionalaffair), a community centered creative events and entertainment brand, focused on curating intentional spaces and experiences. She is currently working with Universal Grammar (@ungramr) to help curate and produce incredible live music performances. Zuri’s last project was co-producing Black to the Future Fest, a series of events in observance of Black History Month, celebrating Black people, Black culture, and Black spaces in San Jose, CA. Zuri aims to always have the opportunity to create and curate events and experiences that bring joy and highlight the beauty of my community.

Mary Shih, Community Educator

Mary is a San Jose native, creative, and patron of the arts. Passionate about educating and equipping others in exploring reuse and renewable options for everyday products, she has vast knowledge regarding compostable and cloth baby diapers and menstrual products. This passion led to her becoming a community Educator with a local non-profit providing free baby carrier support and education. As a creative, she enjoys embroidery, photography, and consuming all the art that decorates the world we live in.

Brandon Roos, Arts Journalist

Brandon Roos is a writer, music obsessive, and community advocate. As an arts journalist, his stories over the past decade have explored the work and process of dozens of South Bay creatives across publications like Content Magazine, KQED Arts, and Metro. He’s one of the creative forces behind the re-launched Wax Wednesday, which showcases professional DJs and bedroom collectors alike at its all-vinyl events. He regularly shares his vast music knowledge and tasteful selection at The Continental (The Changing Same) and AJI Bar and Robata, and has previously been featured as an opening act at Plaza de Cesar Chavez for Music in the Park and San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. His deep love and curiosity for music was passed down to him by his late brother, who also raised him to root for the Quakes. Instagram: @brandiathan Portfolio: brandonroos.contently.com

Alyssarhaye Graciano, Artist/Author/Curator

Alyssarhaye is a practicing textile artist, published author, and community curator. Her curatorial practice has focused on emerging and established artists of color, uplifting untold stories, and artistic expressions. An experienced arts administrator, she has held positions at Silicon Valley Creates, New Museum Los Gatos, and ran a small business, BlackSheepMade offering textile workshops and selling her art. As an arts advocate, she is the Visual Arts Curator at MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, writes for Content Magazine, and is currently in the Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute (MALI), Class 14. Born and raised in San José, Alyssarhaye is trilingual with a BA in Languages and Literature with an emphasis in Spanish and French from the University of California, Riverside. In her spare time, she is an avid cyclist exploring Bay Area trails.

Jorge “J.Duh” Camacho, Artist

Jorge”J.Duh” Camacho is a first generation Nicaragüenses artist/illustrator/muralist who grew into wearing these hats being self/community-taught. The San José born and raised artist uses the symbiotic duality of his creative process —fine art versus street— to create unique, vibrant, and witty works of art. Jorge has ample experience in large scale interior/exterior murals, signage, design, apparel design, curating DIY art shows and more.

You can find his work at places such as Bloomingdales (Valley Fair Mall), Eastridge Mall, Yahoo! (San José Campus), San José Giants Stadium, Oracle (San José Campus), POW!WOW! SAN JOSE, Nutanix (San José Campus), City of Palo Alto, California’s Great America, Voyager Coffee, Chromatic Coffee, Five Points Bar, MiniBoss, San Pedro Social, Depot St. Pizza (Morgan Hill), UPROAR BREWERY, Slice Of Homage, and more.