On Halloween night, four handcrafted alebrijes decorating the exterior of the San Jose Jazz Break Room were stolen, with a fifth one damaged. These original pieces by artist Fernando Escartiz were part of our "Alebrijes en San José" summer exhibition. These sculptures had also featured in separate exhibitions in other cities since 2019.

For artist Fernando Escaritiz and San Jose Jazz, our biggest grievance is not one of monetary value, but rather more so about what was taken from our local community - a creative gesture that brought a bit of joy, curiosity and whimsy to the corner of 1st and San Carlos streets. While we continue to work with SJPD to locate the artworks, we also refuse to let such selfish acts undermine our resolve in the meaningfulness of our work.

As an arts organization in solidarity with our community, we ask for your help to push back against a defeatist social attitude that suggests works of beauty and creativity cannot be part of our public spaces in San Jose.

We are looking to commission a beautiful new piece by Fernando Escartiz that can live permanently and safely on public display at the San Jose Jazz Break Room. We believe that shared experiences of music, art, and beauty are essential to a healthy community and we will continue to do what we can to build those experiences. We hope you will join us.

If you have any tips or information regarding this crime, please message us or report to SJPD, case #253073211.