Some will spare only a passing glance, while others will find the art arresting enough to make them stop, contemplate it and appreciate it.

It's all part of the Downtown Doors project, now in its second year.

Justine's original painting, showing a group of jazz artists, has been digitized, enlarged and transferred onto a vinyl adhesive decal. The decal is now on a set of double-paneled utility doors on the side of the San José Repertory Theatre.

Seeing her "King Oliver's Creole Band" in place on the side of the Rep was a reunion of sorts for Justine, an 18-year-old senior planning to major in art next fall at UC­Santa Cruz.

After Justine's acrylic painting was chosen, it was returned to her for use in her jazz-theme art portfolio. Shortly thereafter, it was stolen from her classroom.

"They asked me to redo it for the reception," Justine says. "I felt like Thomas Kinkade. I had to redo it from memory,"

Inspiration for the painting came from a photograph in a jazz book, but rather than duplicate the photo, she improvised on it.

Justine says she set the players in front of a brick wall, added an archway over them and then painted herself in as the clarinet player.

The Downtown Doors is a project of the San Jose Downtown Foundation, a nonprofit volunteer group supported by San Jose Downtown Association staff.

The concept behind it belongs to Judy Stabile, former San Jose City Council member and, until her retirement in December, deputy director of the Downtown Association.

Stabile says she remembers noticing the service and utility doors on new buildings and thinking they would make excellent canvases for art. Taking into consideration the Downtown Foundation's mission of promoting arts and culture, she started researching possibilities.

Wanting to keep the process simple and affordable, Stabile discussed it with Malcolm Bordelon, executive vice president of the San Jose Sharks, who suggested using decals.

When the first doors were unveiled a year ago, there were only four doors, all designed by Lincoln High School students under the direction of instructor Eileen Zamora.

The first doors were an immediate hit.

Not only did the colors stay vibrant and true, there was not a single act of vandalism on any of them during the year they were on display.

This year the Downtown Foundation expanded the project, inviting students from Downtown College Preparatory, Mount Pleasant High School and San Jose High Academy to participate along with the Lincoln students. From 59 pieces submitted to a jury that included representatives of the San Jose Art Museum and San José State University's art department, nine were chosen.

The costs of the doors, approximately $1,500 each, are funded entirely by private contributions. Sponsors this year include Comerica; Forest City Commercial Management; Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel Inc.; P.F. Chang's China Bistro; Rotary Club of San Jose; Sharks Foundation; Silicon Valley Capital Club; and Willoughby, Stuart, Bening Inc.

Zamora, who is Justine's art instructor at Lincoln, says, "We're really happy. This year they did nine doors. We submitted seven designs, and five of ours were chosen."

All the students were honored at a private reception May 20 in the lobby of the Knight Ridder Building, within easy walking distance of all the Downtown Doors.

The doors will remain in place until May 2005, when the winning entries of next year's competition will replace them.