SJ26: Where Digital Art Thrives
By Julia Halprin Jackson Photography by Robert C. Bain
Between February and July 2026, the region surrounding San Jos茅 is hosting Super Bowl LX, the NCAA Division I Men鈥檚 Basketball Tournament, and six FIFA World Cup matches. San Jos茅 State University faculty, students, alumni and staff are leading several efforts to engage visitors in local art and culture as part of an initiative to light up San Jos茅 with concerts, watch parties and interactive experiences.
鈥淢y secret goal for this project is to share the deep history and unique features of San Jos茅 State and San Jos茅 as a region.鈥�
鈥� Rhonda Holberton
For Rhonda Holberton, chair of the Department of Art and Art History and associate professor of digital media at San Jos茅 State鈥檚 CADRE Laboratory for New Media, 2026 offers an extraordinary opportunity to transform the city of San Jos茅 into an immersive, interactive canvas that celebrates global sports and our region鈥檚 unique creative identity.
In other words: Not only are 91传媒厂 faculty, students and alumni watching sports and participating in citywide events, but they are designing cutting-edge augmented reality (AR), projection mapping and motion graphics experiences to activate key districts and inspire residents and visitors alike. All of these activities fall under the umbrella of and align with 91传媒厂 curriculum.
鈥淥ne thing I love about teaching project-based courses is it gives students professional experience with stakeholders in industry or outside of 91传媒厂,鈥� Holberton says. 鈥淏ut also, when we have a population of 24 or so students in class, they are all essentially prototyping using the same constraints. This means we鈥檒l generate a million great ideas. It鈥檚 really fun to see these ideas germinate, come to life and live out in the world.鈥�
As part of the project, the 91传媒厂 CADRE Lab and digital media art students are creating digital assets for an augmented reality experience that complements 100 painted sharks along Sharks Way, the pedestrian pathway starting at the corner of West St. John Street and North Alameda Boulevard to the SAP Center at 525 W. Santa Clara St. When visitors see the sharks painted on the ground, they鈥檒l spot accompanying QR codes that direct them to a website displaying interactive images, exhibits and displays created by 91传媒厂 students.
Made possible through a partnership with the San Jos茅 Downtown Association, local artist and 91传媒厂 artist Jim Fonseca, '27 BFA Studio Art, also known as Jimmy Paints, the wayfinding project connects San Pedro Square Market, the historic Little Italy neighborhood, and the arena where the San Jos茅 Sharks hockey team plays.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e really trying to do is get people out from behind their screens,鈥� Holberton says. 鈥淐ounterintuitively, we鈥檒l use the screen as a way to cut across different cultures and user groups to create a shared experience. My secret goal for this project is to share the deep history and unique features of San Jos茅 State and San Jos茅 as a region.鈥�
Digital media art, and specifically augmented reality, is a natural fit for this project, says Lacey Nein, 鈥�18 BFA, 鈥�21 MFA Digital Media Art, manager of the . Nein is leading a workshop titled 鈥淓merging Technology Lab AR Apps鈥� at the KLEVR Lab that covers how to develop custom AR applications that are tailored for San Jos茅 public spaces.
鈥淚n terms of accessibility, the great thing about using art for this experience is that it does not depend on a specific language,鈥� says Nein. 鈥淎nyone can look at a piece of artwork and experience it, which works well with how diverse San Jos茅 is. Art does not have to be tied to one group of people.鈥�
The KLEVR Lab鈥檚 involvement extends beyond workshops. Nein has been co-leading the project alongside Holberton, mentoring students as they develop the AR experience. In addition, her student assistants, Sean Cruz-Colatriano, 鈥�26 Digital Media Art, and Antony Cucina, 鈥�28 Graphic Design, are designing and building the Immersion 26 website, which will be hosted on the King Library鈥檚 website. Nein has also worked closely with the team to port the AR experience developed by Ganesh Nagavenkatasai Mohan Kancherla, 鈥�26 MS Computer Science, and Chris Velez, 鈥�26 Computer Engineering, to guide students on UX/UI considerations for immersive environments.
"Soccerman" by Esteban Garcia Bravo and his digital media art students. Photo courtesy of Esteban Garcia Bravo.
"Championship Ring" by Esteban Garcia Bravo and digital media art students. Photo courtesy of Esteban Garcia Bravo.
Digital media art students installed sculptures on City Hall Plaza in February. Photo: Robert C. Bain.
Esteban Garcia Bravo. Photo: Robert C. Bain.
The ultimate group project
San Jos茅 State Immersion 2026 faculty leaders include:
- David Bayus, digital media art lecturer
- Yoon Chung Han, associate professor of design
- Rhonda Holberton, chair of Art and Art History
- Marjan Khatibi, assistant professor of design
- Lacey Nein, emerging technology lab coordinator
- Althea Rao, assistant professor of digital media art
- Virginia San Fratello, chair of design
San Jos茅 State student team:
- Sean Cruz-Colatriano, 鈥�26 Digital Media Art
- Antony Cucina, 鈥�28 Graphic Design
- Ganesh Nagavenkatasai Mohan Kancherla, 鈥�26 MS Computer Science
- Chris Velez, 鈥�26 Computer Engineering
- Phuong-Trang Maria Vu, 鈥�27 BFA Pictorial Art
City of San Jos茅 partners include:
- Cynthia Cao, 鈥�15 BFA Photography, arts program coordinator for the Office of Cultural Affairs
- Jim Fonseca, 鈥�27 Art Studio, (Jimmy Paints), artist
- Lou Jimenez, 鈥�23 Art History, street life manager for the San Jos茅 Downtown Association
Sammy Spartan with sharks. Image: Maria Vu.
Sharkie. Image: Maria Vu.
Sammy Spartan. Image: Maria Vu.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all trying to help each other as artists, especially because we鈥檙e living in a generation where technology is always evolving. We have to find some way to coexist, which means helping each other out, rather than being in fear."
鈥� Phuong-Trang Maria Vu
Echoing expressions
When Phuong-Trang Maria Vu, 鈥�27 BFA Pictorial Art, became an intern at the Digital Humanities Center in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library last year, she couldn鈥檛 have predicted that her work would soon be viewable to thousands of visitors through their smartphones. During the 2025 Research Week at 91传媒厂, Vu digitized artwork by several fellow 91传媒厂 student artists and made them available via Adobe Aero called When library patrons visited the DHC last April, they could use her app to visualize 3D versions of her classmates鈥� digital art, and view physical risograph prints made in collaborations with creative writing, English and art majors. The experience awakened a desire not only to create art, but to share it.
鈥淥ne of my greatest passions is to create storytelling and give representation for a group or program so they can shine,鈥� says Vu. 鈥淪o having this opportunity to work on a huge project with San Jos茅 Downtown has taught me how to network, connect and communicate. We all have different sets of skills and experiences; there鈥檚 a huge diversity of folks working hand in hand to tackle [Immersion 2026] in a creative manner. We鈥檙e all trying to help each other as artists, especially because we鈥檙e living in a generation where technology is always evolving. We have to find some way to coexist, which means helping each other out, rather than being in fear.鈥�
This semester, Vu is supporting Holberton and the Immersion 2026 initiative by creating three-dimensional models and animations, including the San Jos茅 Sharks Sharkie and 91传媒厂 Sammy Spartan mascots. The models will be viewable on the AR website, which visitors can access when they click on the QR codes that follow the sharks along Sharks Way downtown.
鈥淚鈥檓 working on different poses with three sharks and a Sammy Spartan mascot for visitors to take selfies with, as well as editing the Echoes of Expression AR art exhibition map layout,鈥� Vu adds.
"100 Sharks" painted along Sharks Way by Jimmy Paints.
Artistic immersion
For Christopher Velez, 鈥�26 Computer Engineering, Immersion 2026 offers unique opportunities to explore AR/VR to create accessible immersive experiences for residents and visitors alike. As a student employee at King Library鈥檚 KLEVR Lab and a technology assistant at the 91传媒厂 School of Information (iSchool), Velez has built and deployed real-world extended reality (XR) experiences, ranging from WebAR installations for public showcases to Unity-based AR navigation systems and games for emerging hardware like Tilt Five. For the uninitiated, Velez is using emerging technologies to support digital equity, education and innovative public-facing experiences.
鈥淎s someone who grew up in the Bay Area, I鈥檓 used to being immersed in tech,鈥� Velez says. 鈥淏ut for people visiting for the first time, [augmented reality] might feel foreign. [Immersion 2026] offers a natural extension of your body; your phone is your scanner and it pulls you in [to the art]. The AR offers a way to get integrated into the city.鈥�
Vu hopes that visitors will see Immersion 2026 as an invitation to explore and experiment with AR, VR and other new technologies.
鈥淲hen it comes to the Super Bowl, we will get the chance to witness athletes doing amazing things,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 feel like [sports are] a core part of a city鈥檚 identity, and getting to connect that through art, which is also an expression of identity, is a way to explore culture while bridging connections between different aspects of downtown San Jos茅. It鈥檚 a good opportunity for people to witness the beauty of San Jos茅 and diversity as a whole through the focus on arts and the humanities as they coexist with the Super Bowl, March Madness and other sports.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e always known that the talent is there, and now we鈥檙e pushing it to its full potential.鈥�
鈥� Lou Jimenez
Celebrating San Jos茅 culture through art
The ingenuity, expertise and hard work of artists is impossible without an infrastructure to support it. That鈥檚 where leaders like Kerry Adams Hapner, director of cultural affairs and deputy director of the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs for the City of San Jos茅, come in.
A civic leader with nearly 20 years of experience championing San Jos茅 arts and culture, Adams Hapner looks to CADRE at San Jos茅 State as a critical partner, especially during major events like the Super Bowl, the NCAA Division I Men鈥檚 Basketball Tournament and the FIFA World Cup. Adams Hapner was particularly drawn to Craig Hobbs and Esteban Garcia Bravo鈥檚 work because of their innovative approaches to combining technology, interactivity and cultural significance.
鈥淲hen people come to San Jos茅 for a major sporting event or activity, they鈥檙e spending a very small percentage of their time actually at that event,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he rest of the time, they鈥檙e enjoying their destination. What we really want to showcase is San Jos茅鈥檚 unique cultural identity, both to build civic pride for locals, as well as our visitors. That鈥檚 why we wanted to engage local artists like the CADRE professors, who are leaders in their industry and are also teaching the next generation of artists.鈥�
Stitching communities together
Speaking of artists: is creating opportunities for artists to participate in SJ26 through her role as the street life manager for the San Jos茅 Downtown Association. Jimenez manages everything from the urban tree canopy, landscaping, capital projects and public art downtown. She leads an initiative designed to bring projects, public space enhancements and cultural activations together to celebrate the vibrancy of downtown.
鈥淲e work with businesses, property owners and city folks to improve neighborhoods using the tools that fall in our scope,鈥� Jimenez says, adding that San Jos茅 State is a critical partner in many of these projects, especially during SJ26.
One of the best parts of her work is commissioning local artists to support these initiatives with public art 鈥� a throughline from her days as a student, when she led Public Art as Resistance tours of downtown with the College of Humanities and the Arts. Jimenez hired Jimmy Paints to paint the sharks along Sharks Way that 91传媒厂 faculty and students are enhancing with AR and VR components.
鈥淓very vendor we鈥檙e working with on this project is local, which means I鈥檓 putting money directly in the artists鈥� pockets,鈥� Jimenez says. 鈥淲e are providing between $50-$150,000 into the local art economy, which to me is really cool, and the best way to demand that talent. The artists need the money to do what they do best.鈥�
Though the Super Bowl, the NCAA Division I Men鈥檚 Basketball Tournament and the FIFA World Cup celebrate athletic achievements, for Jimenez these events offer equally important platforms for artists to demonstrate their skills. It鈥檚 especially gratifying for the native San Josean.
鈥淭his has a direct impact on my hometown,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his is literally my dream job. I鈥檓 really grateful for San Jos茅 State University; working with them is a full-circle moment. What excites me most about Stitching Districts in general is that I feel for once, we鈥檙e going to give San Jos茅 what it deserves. I鈥檝e always known that the talent is there, and now we鈥檙e pushing it to its full potential.鈥�
Rhonda Holberton Named 2026 Knights Arts + Tech Fellow
Rhonda Holberton, chair of the Art and Art History Department at 91传媒厂, was named a 2026 a $50,000 award that supports artists innovating with new media and technologies. Artists are also featured in an accompanying online publication, , which explores new media landscapes and seeks to build a network of practitioners in the field.
鈥淭his fellowship amplifies a pivotal moment in my creative practice during my spring 2026 sabbatical to support three ambitious projects connecting art, technology and collaboration,鈥� Holberton says. 鈥淭hese include a work for the San Jos茅 Museum of Art鈥檚 Motherboards exhibition (which opened April 10), a cross-disciplinary art, AI, and neuroscience project with UC San Diego and the San Diego Museum of Art, and a Knight Foundation鈥揻unded digital preservation initiative with SJMA, Leonardo, and UC Irvine. Together, these projects deepen my studio practice while expanding partnerships that strengthen San Jos茅鈥� State's creative and technological community.鈥�
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Top image: Artwork by Esteban Garcia Bravo and his students was on full display in downtown San Jos茅 in February 2026. Photo courtesy of Esteban Garcia Bravo.
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