Often a museum will have an interesting exhibit, but it’s up for a limited time and if that time frame doesn’t mesh with yours, you miss it.
Now the Google Cultural Institute is making three interesting exhibits from History San Jose accessible on the Internet anytime you want to click on one.
The partnership kicks off with Artists for Hire: Painting for the Market in Santa Clara Valley. Although only a small portion of the more than 500 paintings in the HSJ collection are shown, it does include some gems from such noted artists as A.D.M. Cooper, Andrew Putnam Hill and Elizabeth A. Rockwell.
Along with pastoral scenes and historic portraits is an interesting one of former Mayor Tom McEnery painted by Robert K. Semans around 1983.
Photography is the focus of the second exhibit, San Jose: City With a Past. It includes historic shots of San Jose’s Chinatown, construction of buildings that are now city landmarks, such as the San Jose Civic Auditorium, and many beautiful structures destroyed in the name of progress.
The third exhibit is The Perham Collection of Early Electronics and it looks at the legacy of radio pioneer Douglas McDonald Perham (1887-1967), who was an early wireless experimenter, radio broadcaster, technician and collector.
“The significance of being able to share the history and culture of San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley to a global audience is monumental,” said Alida Bray, president and CEO of HSJ, in announcing the collaboration.
“History San Jose has the largest regional history collection in the state of California and it is our mission to share it with the largest audience possible.”
The Paris-based Google Cultural Institute has nearly 400 partners in 50 countries exhibiting millions of pieces of art, history and culture.
To view the exhibits online visit google.com/culturalinstitute/collection/history-san-jose.
