SAN JOSE, CA.- The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art announces the appointment of Patricia Cariño as the new Curator and Director of Public Programs for the prominent South Bay arts institution. Cariño comes to the ICA from San Francisco’s Exploratorium, where since 2015 she was the Public Programs Coordinator and a Development Specialist. Cariño, who earned a BA in Art History from UC Berkeley in 2010 and an MA in Curatorial Practice from the California College of the Arts in 2014, possesses wide experience in the Bay Area arts community, including numerous independent curatorial projects, public educational events, and published articles. Cariño’s curatorial projects have been held at the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, the Asian Contemporary Arts Consortium, the Oakland Museum of California, Pro Arts, and the California College of the Arts, in addition to numerous independent galleries and art spaces in San Francisco and Oakland.

ICA Executive Director Cathy Kimball stated “I am delighted to welcome Patricia Cariño to the ICA staff in the important role of Curator and Director of Public Programs. She brings a fresh perspective to the South Bay arts scene and is eager to connect with the vital community that serves the arts in San Jose. In addition, I am thrilled to welcome two new members, Kavita Tankha and Gordon Yamate, to our Board of Directors. The depth of their professional expertise and commitment to the arts is exemplary.”

The ICA’s two new board members: Kavita Tankha and Gordon Yamate are strong advocates for the arts and the San Jose community. Kavita Tankha, a lawyer and women’s rights advocate, currently serves on the Boards of Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte and Girls Learn International. She also serves on the Boards of Foothill-De Anza Foundation, El Camino Hospital Foundation and the Peninsula Democratic Coalition. In 2013, the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club named her Activist of the Year, and in 2014 the Silicon Valley Business Journal named her as one of the top 100 women of Influence 2014. A resident of Los Altos Hills, she also serves as the Planning Commissioner and is committed to the organized development of her town.

Gordon Yamate, the former vice president and general counsel of Knight Ridder, currently serves on the boards of the Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange and the Japanese American National Museum headquartered in Los Angeles, where he presided as chair of the Board of Trustees from 2010-15. He recently completed his tenure on the Board of Directors of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, serving since 2008. He is also a former chair of the board of directors of Silicon Valley FACES, a human relations organization that operated the Silicon Valley regional office of the National Conference of Christians & Jews (NCCJ). Active in the arts, Yamate was a member of the City of San Jose’s Fine Arts Commission and served on the board of the San Jose Museum of Art, in addition to the Japanese American National Museum. Yamate received his law degree from Santa Clara University, where he currently teaches a corporate governance seminar.