With support from the California Arts Council, Montalvo Association in partnership with the Confederation of Ohlone People, the Santa Clara County Parks Department, and West Valley College Department of Park Management will create a dynamic land acknowledgement on Montalvo’s 175-acre grounds. “A Path Forward” will be a permanent artwork that originates with a sculptural element serving as an avatar and leads visitors on a walk through the site providing AR experiences that engage them with artistic, cultural, and scientific content specific to the grounds and forest. This living land acknowledgment, a prototype for the parks, will elevate local Ohlone voices, honor Indigenous knowledge and enlighten visitors about forest stewardship, land management, and environmental conservation in the natural ecosystems of Santa Clara County.
Located in Silicon Valley’s Saratoga Hills, the Montalvo grounds include a 1912 Mediterranean-style Villa, its formal gardens, and two-acre Great Lawn; the historic Claire Loftus Carriage House Theatre and the Lilian Fontaine Garden Theatre; and 175 acres of trails through redwood trees. Below the Villa and across the creek are hidden ten free-standing live/work studios and the Commons of the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency Program (LAP), which hosts over 100 artists each year from diverse backgrounds across the nation and the world. The LAP is the third-oldest artist residency program in the United States.
Three special assets–our extraordinary physical environment and grounds, a rich diversity of multigenerational visitors, and artistically excellent programs–combine to make Montalvo a unique multidisciplinary arts organization that has become a place for people of all ages and all walks of life to engage in meaningful, accessible, and inspiring arts experiences.

