21 Years of Downtown Doors
Annual exhibition adds color and vibrancy to city’s urban core
The San Jose Downtown Foundation is focused on enhancing the cultural and aesthetic environment.
The Foundation’s signature program is Downtown Doors, which not only beautifies public spaces by putting artwork on otherwise flat service doors and utility boxes, but gives high school students the golden opportunity to post messages about their views of the world through mass media and art. Each year, the works of more than 20 students are posted throughout the downtown. SJDF has more than 100 sites for the art, which always delight and surprise passersby. Over the last 21 years, we have had 372 different works of art on display and students have been selected from 24 different schools.
The Foundation also supports arts projects such as murals and business window art that enrich downtown’s urban landscape.
SJDF is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization governed by a Board of Trustees.
The Foundation seeks Board Members who are connected to downtown, want to see downtown meet its potential, and interested in supporting the arts.
Contact Lou Jimenez, Street Life Manager, for more information about the San Jose Downtown Foundation.
The program is mostly funded by local grants and individual giving.
2025 Downtown Doors
Request for Submissions
2025 marks the 22nd year of the Downtown Doors program by the San Jose Downtown Foundation (SJDF). The SJDF Board invites your students to create unique, inspiring artwork that can end up publicly displayed on downtown San Jose utility doors and boxes, helping to transform Downtown into a more vibrant, creative, welcoming and beautiful environment for the entire community.
2024 Class of Downtown Doors
The San Jose Downtown Foundation celebrated the 2024 Class of Downtown Doors on Thursday, May 16th at the San Jose Museum of Art. This year, SJDA partnered with the San Jose Earthquakes to celebrate their 50th anniversary, with the addition of three soccer-themed Downtown Doors, in addition to our 20 traditional Downtown Doors winners.
2024 Downtown Doors
School tally of selections, 2003-2024
East Side Union HS District
Piedmont Hills – 23
Santa Teresa – 26
Evergreen Valley – 19
Independence – 23
Andrew P Hill – 14
Yerba Buena – 15
Mount Pleasant – 12
Silver Creek – 8
James Lick – 4
Oak Grove – 4
(148) East Side SubTotal
All other area high schools
Abraham Lincoln (includes Saturday Art Academy) – 54
Notre Dame – 42
Del Mar – 17
Leigh – 25
Homestead – 12
Gunderson – 14
Willow Glen – 15
Cupertino – 6
San Jose High Academy – 5
Bellarmine College Prep – 8
Downtown College Prep – 4
San Jose High – 3
Westmont – 6
Leland – 1
Castillero Middle – 1
Archbishop Mitty – 2
(216) All other districts subtotal
Sister Cities
Okayama, Japan – 2
Pune, India – 2
Tainan, Taiwan – 2
Dublin, Ireland – 1
San Jose, Costa Rica – 1
(8) International Subtotal
(372) TOTAL
2024 Downtown Doors supporters
Ernest and Irene Pestana Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Thank you to the San Jose Museum of Art for hosting the reception
