Judi Oyama: To Be Seen / Not Heard - Art Exhibit at JAMs Museum
I've known Judi Oyama since we were 16, skating together back when girls at the skatepark still got double takes. So believe me when I say this one is personal: my good friend is getting her first solo museum exhibition, and you need to be there.
"To Be Seen / Not Heard" opens Saturday, October 31 at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) in Japantown, and runs through May 31, 2027. The title comes from something Judi's mom told her growing up: be seen, not heard. Judi had other plans. She spent the next five decades making a name for herself in a sport that didn't exactly roll out the welcome mat for women. This show finally lets her be heard, as an athlete, an artist and a person.
Inside you'll find photographs, design work and never-before-seen artwork from her life. There's family history, her graphic design career, and the discipline it takes to compete at the highest level for a lifetime. Two pieces I can't wait to see in person: a photo of her very first slalom race in Capitola in 1975, and her "Skate or Die 2" ad art from 1990.
Opening day is a party. Admission is free from 12 to 4 PM, and right outside, Skate Day & Halloween in Japantown runs 12 to 7 PM at 5th & Jackson. It's free and family-friendly, with a skate workshop with Judi herself, skate lessons, a sticker rally, skate awards and Trunk or Treat. Bring the kids, bring your board, wear a costume.
A little Judi history, in case you somehow don't know:
• She started skating at 13 in her Santa Cruz driveway, on a board her brother made in wood shop.
• Santa Cruz Skateboards has sponsored her since she was 16. That's one of the longest rider relationships in skateboarding.
• At the 1977 Capitola Classic she was the only woman in the race. A year later she beat Duane Peters and Tony Alva. The night before, on a practice run, Alva looked back, saw her right on his tail and gave her a grinning nod. In Judi's words: "That moment has kept me racing to this day."
• She won the women's slalom world championship in 2003, at 43.
• She was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2018.
• The Smithsonian has her 1970s Santa Cruz racing helmet in its collection.
• Guinness lists her as the oldest competitive female skateboarder, and she just raced for Team USA at the World Skate Games in Paraguay this month. Still sending it at 66.
All the while, she built a serious design career: her own studio, Maximum Impact Design, since 1987, plus art director roles at RockShox, Giro/Bell, Zero Motorcycles and CrossFit.
Judi has spent her whole life showing girls what's possible on a skateboard, usually just by showing up and going fast. Now it's our turn to show up for her. See you in Japantown on the 31st!
Japanese American Museum of San Jose
535 N. 5th Street, San Jose
Opening: Sat Oct 31, 12–4 PM (free)
On view through May 31, 2027, Thu–Sun 12–4 PM
jamsj.org