Last week, a few dozen arts advocates gathered for a power-networking soiree at MACLA to hear Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose provide updates on their progress to build a permanent stage complex in St. James Park.
Formed in 2016, Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose is a non-profit organization of interesting characters, all committed to the revitalization of the long-beleaguered park as a safe and inclusive destination for all ages and backgrounds. The new outdoor stage will feature at least 50 free concerts throughout the year, plus other gigs by whoever else wants to rent the space.
No rational adult is against the idea.
As the power-networkers tore into deli plates and coffee cake from Hobee’s, San Jose City Councilmember Michael Mulcahy, himself a lifelong musician, took the microphone first.
The arts ecosystem, Mulcahy said, “is, in and of itself, an economic generator and a vital employer.”
“Amen!” blurted someone in the audience.
Mulcahy continued: “I want to make sure that you know that I recognize that, as a city council member. And [I’m] trying to make sure to remind not just my city colleagues, but our city management, the importance of the arts and the ecosystem that you are all a part of.”
Those without regular exposure to the arts intelligentsia of San Jose might not realize the sheer amount of collaboration and cooperation that unfolds behind the scenes of normal everyday events. Now more than ever, people are pooling their resources and working together in ways that simply were not happening 20 years ago.
Mulcahy then gave a proclamation to Peter Allen of San Jose Arts Advocates, a gesture normally reserved for City Council meetings. Mulcahy said it was much more fun to attend a meeting of arts and music organization supporters.
“As a creative and an arts advocate myself, I understand firsthand the transformative power of creative expression,” Mulcahy said, proclaiming that April 2026, for the moment, is arts, culture and creativity month, which he hoped will happen every year. “I encourage everyone to celebrate and engage with the arts,” he said. “I’m preaching to a serious choir here, but I just want to make sure that you know that the city is saying this out loud.”
The ghost of Rick Holden was clearly in the room. Before he passed away in 2024, Rick was the public face for the Levitt Pavilion project. He was at every event, manning every booth, talking people up and spreading the gospel.
When Suzanne St. John-Crane, director of strategy for Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose, took the microphone next, she said Rick twisted her arm for over a year, and convinced her to transition from the American Leadership Forum and take over the Levitt Pavilion project to help it cross the finish line. Even though a lot of money still needs to be raised, the Levitt Family Foundation, who helped install similar permanent stages in other cities, is providing a solid start. So, at Holden’s urging, St. John-Crane, herself a musician, couldn’t say no.
“I said yes eventually because I think this is such an exciting project and it’s not very often you have a family foundation that is signed up to give $250,000 a year in general operating money through 2041 in Silicon Valley,” she said. “You don’t see that at arts organizations. So that was an incentive for sure. But I see St. James Park having so much potential. I want to be a part of building this center.”
Then everyone broke up into focus groups to discuss their concerns, make suggestions, swap ideas or just sit in the corner devouring the deli plates, ahem. Some great ideas came from the exchanges. People voiced their concerns about indigenous inclusion. Others suggested chill zones for neurodivergent folks that occasionally needed specific spaces to filter out bombastic distractions for a softer, non-anxiety-producing experience, a concept many convention centers incorporate.
And of course, people asked about the Byzantine permitting bureaucracy, always the elephant in the room when trying to organize anything in San Jose. Despite it all, the power-networking soiree certainly built more community. Afterward, specific participants were already talking about working with each other.
Let the funds be raised!
Great article Gary! I appreciate your thoroughness and detailed account of the meeting. The Levitt San Jose project will be a catalyst to support our San Jose Arts organization and help them bring joy to their audience and potentially new audiences. It’s going to be awesome!