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July 6 - 12, 2001
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| NORTHERN CALIFORNIA |
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Media Fund The National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA) is pleased to announce new deadlines for the Media Fund. Open Call for Production Funds ends Aug. 24. This round of funding is for applicants with public television projects in production and/or post-production phases. Projects in research and development or script development phases need not apply. Awards will average $20,000 to $50,000. Exceptions may be made. Open Door Completion Fund has no deadline. This round of funding is for applicants with public television projects in the final post-production phase. A full-length rough-cut must be submitted. Awards average $20,000 and NAATA funds must be the last monies needed to finish the project and deliver the broadcast master. For more information, check out www.naatanet.org or contact the Media Fund department at 415-863-0814 x106 or mediafund@naatanet.org.
ARTS
Chushingura II: Story and Textile Art This exhibition at the Japan Information Center features several quilted tapestries, as well as explanatory texts about an epic event of l8th century Japan, the revolt of forty-seven samurai. For three centuries, artwork of various kinds have been created about this legend. The current exhibit was created by Midori McKeon, Masahiko Minami, and Lois Lyles, professors at San Francisco State University, and Hitomi Minami. The display can be viewed at the Japanese Consulate, Rm. 2200, at 50 Fremont St. in San Francisco (tel: 415-777-3533). Exhibit hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., except for a lunchtime closing, noon - 1 p.m. daily. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, runs June 18 - July 11. For more information, call Lois Lyles, SFSU, at 415-338-7411.
Kimono Kinship The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles presents Kimono Kinship, July 20 through Sept. 9 at the museum, 110 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose. An opening reception will be hosted on Sunday, July 22, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibition celebrates the art of the kimono by showcasing a small sampling of traditional and contemporary kimonos as well as kimono-inspired art in multiple textile forms. Admission is $4 general, $3 for seniors and students, and free to museum members and children under 13. For more information, please call 408-971-7226.
Nature on the Grid The Gallery at Montalvo presents Nature on the Grid, an exhibition of the work of Kyoung Ae Cho. Korean-born Cho’s large-scale “quilts” incorporate pine needles, hair and wood. Cho meticulously arranges these found natural materials using the geometry of a grid to reveal both the order and flux innate in natural forms. The exhibition runs through Sept. 17, at the Gallery, 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga. For more information, please call 408-961-5800.
No Ghost, Just a Shell The Ann Lee Project was initiated by French artists Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno when they purchased an anonymous manga “actress” from an agency that produces and sells such computer files for fictive characters. Calling her Ann Lee, the artists began bringing her to life in a series of computer animations. No Ghost, Just a Shell is an ongoing project in which the two initiators invite various artists to contribute new material to the series. The SFMOMA presentation features work by Huyghe and Parreno, as well as Liam Gillick, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and Rirkrit Tiravanija (to be confirmed). SFMOMA is located at 151 3rd St., San Francisco. For general information, please call 415-357-4000, or go to www.sfmoma.org.
Soul on Rice Washington Square Gallery presents an exhibition of new work by two of San Francisco’s emerging artists. Both members of racial minorities, the artists are keenly aware of the social environment around them. Tomashi’s work is a never-ending series of works on paper that combine text and image in visuals which are grounded in her social experience. Del Rosario exhibits both large abstract work and a china set inspired by African American studies. The show will be on view from July 14 to Aug. 5, with an artists’ reception on July 14, 6 - 8 p.m. For more information, please call 415-291-9255.
EVENTS
Get Out of Camp Produced by the National Japanese American Historical Society, this interactive exhibit gives the audience an experiential overview of what World War II was like for Japanese Americans, using replicas, photographs and music. The exhibition is on display through July 31, and is free to the public. Gallery hours are Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (NJAHS Gallery, 1684 Post St., San Francisco, 415-921-5007)
Godzilla West Presents: Friday Night Live Godzilla West presents Friday Night Live, a fresh new open-mike venue featuring Asian Pacific Islander monologists and comedians, as well as spoken word artists, musicians and dancers. The vision is to create a nurturing space where artists of any medium can come to express and create. The open mike takes place on the first Friday of every month at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. For more information, call 510-208-6080. (388 9th St., Suite 290, Oakland)
Shards An evening of performance including Japanese Butoh dance, music, Indian Odissi dance, action theater improvisation, contemporary dance, and film, Shards is a presentation of solo works by the members of inkBoat: Tanya Calamoneri, Leigh Evans, Kinji Hayashi, Shinichi Momo Koga, Eric Koziol, Cassie Terman and Allen Willner. A live auction is also part of the program, benefiting inkBoat’s upcoming European tour. Join inkBoat for three evenings of performance July 6 - 8, 8 p.m. at Temescal Art Center, 511 48th St. at Telegraph Ave, Oakland. For information and reservations, call 510-654-3750.
FILM
THE VERTICAL RAY OF THE SUN The Vertical Ray of the Sun opens Friday, July 13 at the Camera Cinemas in San Jose. Directed by Tran Anh Hung (The Scent of Green Papaya) the movie stars Tran Nu YenKhe, Nguyen Nhu Quynh, Le Khanh, Ngo Quang Hai and Chu Hung. In modern-day Hanoi, three sisters and their brother, prompted by the anniversary of their mother’s death, meet at the eldest sister’s cafe. They are obviously a close family, sharing their most intimate secrets without guilt or fear — or so it seems. Involved in relationships at various stages of development, they all hold back disturbing secrets of sexual complicity, most dramatically the youngest sister, Lian, who seeks a husband just like her brother Hai (with whom she has a complex and ambiguous relationship). When Lian investigates a previously unknown aspect of their mother’s life, the family is thrown into tumult. Her discoveries threaten the idealized memory of their parents that has kept the family fiercely connected. “Tran Anh Hung’s new film shimmers like a sweet summer postcard of love and desire. It is overwhelmingly beautiful, every shot magically bouncing off a different source of light, each location a collection of perfectly composed color, fabric and objets d’art.” — Noah Cowan, Toronto Film Festival. Vietnamese, with English subtitles. For more information and Camera Cinema locations, please call 408-998-3300.
MUSIC
Afternoon Ragas The Asian Art Museum presents a rare afternoon performance of ragas (a popular form of Indian classical music) on Sunday, July 8 at 2 p.m. The concert features two of today’s finest Indian classical musicians: sitar virtuoso and composer Kartik Seshadri and tabla performer Swanpan Chaudhuri. Since ragas are typically performed in the evening and convey an entirely different feeling, this afternoon event is a special treat for museum visitors. For ticket or more information, call 415-379-8839. (Asian Art Museum,75 Tea Garden Drive,Golden Gate Park, San Francisco)
The Beat of Love Justice League and DJ Cheb i Sabbah present The Beat of Love with Trilok Gurtu, Friday, July 6 at Justice League, 628 Divisadero St. at Hayes St., San Francisco. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the door. Advance $10 tickets are available at Reds Clothing, Open Mind Music and Ticketweb. For more information, call 415-289-2038, or visit www.india-today.com/itoday/15121997/music.html and www.chebisabbah.com.
READINGS AND LECTURES
Do The Ripe Thing! The Ripe Fruit School of Creative Writing celebrates its 10-year anniversary with a juicy summer bash, Do The Ripe Thing!, Sunday, July 8, 2 - 6 p.m., at the SomARTS Gallery, 934 Brannan St., San Francisco. Ripe Fruit grad Priscilla Lee will be amongst the poets and writers reading at 2:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to join the creative mix via an open mike and spontaneous poetry murals available all afternoon. For more information, call 415-337-4369 or contact ripefruitwriting@aol.com.
Event with Critical Resistance The July 12 event features a reading from Critical Resistance to the Prison Industrial Complex, a special issue of the criminology journal Social Justice edited by the Critical Resistance Publications Collective. In the tradition of CR, the issue features writings by activists, academics, former and current prisoners. There will be readings and discussions with speakers Margo Okazawa-Rey, Gywn Kirk, Rene Poitevin, and Ellen Barry. The reading begins 7:30 p.m. at the Modern Times Bookstore, 888 Valencia St. at 20th St., San Francisco. Visit CR at www.criticalresistance.org.
Collective Soul As part of the Descarga series, La Peña presents Collective Soul, an evening of hip hop, spoken word and soul music featuring Mission, Felonious, Soul Reflection, Youth Speaks 2001 and DJ Sake 1 on July 20. The program starts 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. Admission is $7 before 10 p.m. and $10 after. For more information, please call 510-849-2568.
THEATER
Deep Cut Golden Thread Productions presents the West Coast premiere of Deep Cut, an award-winning play by Karim Alrawi. Farah, an unhappily married woman, confronts her father Andrew, a liberal American psychiatrist who is about to remarry. How does their relationship mirror our nation’s selective intervention policy? A wider context is brought to bear on the stormy conflict of a young Chinese surgeon, one of Andrew’s patients, who was tortured during the events at Tiananmen Square. The play runs July 14 - 29, Thursday - Sunday, at 8 p.m., at the Thick House, 1695 18th St., San Francisco. General admission is $18. For reservations and information, please call 510-986-9194.
Redwood Curtain Redwood Curtain explores the uniquely American world of the post Viet Nam War, the perception of mixed-race children, homelessness and a desire to preserve the Redwood forests. The play runs July 13 - 21 at Venue 222, City College of San Francisco adjacent to the Diego Rivera Theater. For more information, please call 415-239-3132.
Texas R/evolution Theater Company presents the Northern California premiere of Judy Soo Hoo’s award-winning play Texas, June 16 to July 8, at the Thick House, 1695 18th St. at Carolina St., San Francisco. Directed by Kelvin Han Yee, Texas is a darkly comic, Asian American view of the West. Steve “the college boy” (Samuel Sheng) comes to stay with two whacked-out brothers, Duke “the butcher” (Feodor Chin) and Danny “the kid” (Robert Wu), who live in a cramped trailer on the flats of Texas. During a night of vicious psychological and physical games, Steve learns the awful truth about the brothers and their secret past. He is ultimately forced to pit one brother against the other to escape their world. Tickets are $15-$18. For tickets, call 415-401-8081. For information, visit www.texastheplay.homestead.com or http://getit.at/texas.
The Hawaiian Sweethearts The Hawaiian Sweethearts plays in Oakland for a two-day engagement at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St., Suite 290, Oakland. Dancer/actress/theater arts technician Cecily Chow joins writer/musician/singer Charlie Chin in this unique show on Friday, July 13, and Saturday, July 14 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12. For information and reservations, call Joan Osato at 415-440-5545, e-mail info@asianamericantheater.org or visit www.asianamericantheater.org.
What/Do On Tuesday and Wednesday, July 17 and 18, at 8 p.m., Opera Piccola and Footloose Dance Company present the premiere of What/Do, a one-act play that shouts for an ending to the personal and social devastation caused by the current breast cancer epidemic. The premiere will comprise the third week of Footloose’s popular Women’s Work Series, taking place throughout the month of July at Venue 9, 252 9th St., San Francisco. What/Do is a new piece written by Opera Piccola’s artistic director Susannah Wood, in collaboration with Miguel Garcia and Melissa Wong Renati. Using a surrealistic style that reflects the chaotic emotions and radical life changes of women with breast cancer, the fast-paced work races from true-life stories, to startling statistics, to the power brokers of the corporate world. Tickets are $8-10, sliding scale. For more information about Women’s Work Series and reservations, please call 415-289-2000, or visit www.venue9.com.
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
ARTS
American Families American Families by artist Momo Nagano, which commemorates the names of Japanese Americans who lived in a specific neighborhood of Los Angeles prior to World War II, when the U.S. government unlawfully forced them to leave their homes, will be on display at the Japanese American National Museum, 244 San Pedro St., between 2nd and 3rd St.s, Los Angeles, through Oct. 7. For more information on American Families, call the Japanese American National Museum at 213-625-0414. For more information on Momo Nagano: Personal Visions, call the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center at 213-628-2725.
EVENTS
Summer Art Camp Children will draw tigers and fold birds as they create their own Japanese accordion-style book of animals during Pacific Asian Museum’s Summer Art Camp Adventures with Animals. This six-session camp begins Tuesday, July 17, through Thursday, July 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Children ages 7 - 11 will enjoy adventures in Japanese art through hands-on activities including origami, papermaking, collage, drawing, painting, book-marking, and haiku poetry writing with instructors Peggy Hasegawa and Pamela Macapagal. Enrollment is limited for this engaging summer camp. Pre-registration is required and fees are $175 for museum members and $195 for non-members. For more information, schedules and camp registration, please call 626-449-2742 x41. (Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena)
READINGS AND LECTURES
Karen Tei Yamashita Pacific Asia Museum presents an Authors on Asia session on Saturday, July 28, at 2 p.m. Author Karen Tei Yamashita will read from and sign her powerful new book, Circle K Cycles. Winner of the American Book Award and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Award, this acclaimed author blends fiction and essay, story and history as she explores important issues of the new century in modern-day Japan. Labor, nationalism, and the effects of cultural diaspora are topics addressed in this darkly comic collection. For more information or reservations for the Authors onAsia program, please call the Museum Store at 626-449-2742 x20. (Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave, Pasadena)
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REST OF THE WEST
ARTS
Art of Protest A cross-cultural exhibition of works from Seattle Asian Art Museum’s collection that use a wide range of media and visual imagery to make social comment, address political issues and advocate for change. For more information, call 206-654-3100 (SAAM, Volunteer Park, 14th Ave at East Prospect St.)
Blue-and-white Japanese Porcelain Approximately 100 pieces of exquisite Japanese porcelain grace the gallery at the Seattle Art Museum in Hirado Porcelain of Japan from the Kurtzman Collection. The exhibition runs through July 8. Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and on Thursday until 9 p.m. (1400 E. Prospect St., Volunteer Park, Seattle)
Signs of Fortune, Symbols of Immortality This installation of Japanese hanging scrolls, screens and textiles features works from the 17th - 20th centuries. Museum hours are Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and on Thursdays until 9 p.m. (Seattle Art Museum, 1400 E. Prospect St., Volunteer Park, Seattle)
Tangible Grace The stately yet subtle lines of Chinese furniture from the Seattle Art Museum’s permanent collection, are highlighted in the new installation, Tangible Grace: Chinese furniture from the Museum Collection, opening on July 26, and continuing through July 2002, at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E. Prospect St., Volunteer Park, Seattle. For more information, visit the museum’s Web site at www.seattleartmuseum.org.
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EAST COAST
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Seeking Submissions for the Asian American International Film Festival The 24th Annual Asian American International Film Festival will be held in New York City at the French Institute/Alliance Française July 20-28. It currently seeks feature-length screenplay submissions for staged readings during the festival. A director and actors will be provided, and the performance is open to the Asian American creative community for discussion and critique. Asian Cinevision, the Asian American Arts Alliance and the Asian American Writer’s Workshop are co-sponsoring the reading. Please send a PDF, Word file or hard copy to: NaRhee Ahn, Panel and Workshop Coordinator, panels@asiancinevision.org or the Asian Cinevision offices at 133 West 19th St., New York, NY 10011. For more information, call 212-989-1422.
ARTS
Fly to Freedom Museum of Chinese in the Americas (MoCA) presents Fly to Freedom: The Art of the Golden Venture Refugees at the Smithsonian Institution through Sept. 30, sponsored by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program under the leadership of Dr. Franklin Odo. The exhibition is housed in the Arts & Industries Building, 900 Jefferson Drive, S.W., Washington, D.C. The show consists of 25 selected works of folded-paper and papier-mâché art. Along with the paper sculptures, the traveling exhibit presents the background history of the Golden Venture story and the outcome of the refugees’ struggles. For further information, please call MoCA at 212-619-4785 or visit www.MoCA-nvc.org.
NGC 6093 The first major New York installation by artist Hiro Yamagata, NGC 6093, is on view at the Ace Gallery New York, 275 Hudson St through July 28. Combining laser-beam technologies with refractive surfaces and techniques, the artist makes use of the entire 25,000 square-foot gallery space to present his monumental exploration of the solar system’s impact on human existence. The installation changes several times during the course of the exhibition, offering a new and equally unexpected experience each visit. For more information, please call Ace Gallery at 212-255-5599.
Not on the Menu Not on the Menu: From Asian/Pacific Islander Roots to American Reality is an exhibit by Corky Lee of private and public moments of Asian American daily life. The show runs through Nov.30 at the Museum of Chinese in the Americas, 70 Mulberry St., 2/F, New York City. For more information, call 212-619-4785.
On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience, an exhibition organized by the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles and based on the acclaimed book by Lisa See, continues through Sept. 30 in the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building, 900 Jefferson Drive, S.W, Wash., D.C. The exhibit is organized chronologically and thematically, beginning with the journey from China to America, continuing with Chinese labor in the 19th-century West, the adoption and repeal of the Exclusion Act, the evolution of Los Angeles’ Chinatown, concluding with the diverse face of Asian immigration in the last 30 years. For more information, please call 202-357-2700.
EVENTS
Worshipping the Ancestors Chinese opera, ghost story films, gallery talks, storytelling and activities for children complement Worshipping the Ancestors: Chinese Commemorative Portraits, an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave., S.W., through Sept. 9. Highlights of the exhibition include intricately detailed and brightly colored life-size portraits, textiles, jewelry, furniture and other Chinese objects used in the ritual of ancestor worship created between 1451 and 1943. For more information, call 202-357-2700 or 202-357-1729 (TTY) or visit www.asia.si.edu.
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NATIONAL
ANNOUNCEMENTS
New Voices Award Lee & Low Books, the award-winning publisher of multicultural books for children, is pleased to announce the second annual New Voices Award. The award will be given for a children’s picture book story by a writer of color. The award winner will receive a cash grant of $1,000 and a standard publication contract, including an advance against royalties. An honorary award winner will receive a cash grant of $500. Manuscripts will be accepted through Sept. 30, 2001, and must be post-marked by that date. Submissions should be sent to: New Voices Award, Lee & Low Books, 95 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. For details on eligibility, please e-mail info@leeandlow.com
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