To update information or submit an event, email ACTA.
Calavera: Days of the Dead Altars Remixed
Through December 4, 2005
Oakland Museum
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA
For the museum’s 12th annual Días de los Muertos exhibition, artists, school groups, and members of the community create installations that reflect how California has developed its own cosmopolitan version of this celebration—grounded in spiritual Mesoamerican traditions, but open to new expressions.
Admission: $8
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.;
Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Hidden Treasures from the Mexican Collections
Saltillo-style sarape (sarape antiguo estilo "Saltillo")
Northern or Central Mexico; ca. 1830-80
Collected by Phoebe A. Hearst, before 1919
Through December 23, 2005
Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology
UC Berkeley
103 Kroeber Hall - Bancroft and College Ave.
Berkeley, CA
Tesoros Escondidos presents a selection of objects from Mexico including clothing, textiles, pottery, baskets, gourds, masks, ceremonial objects, toys, and miniatures. Although these pieces have been accumulating since the Hearst Museum's founding in 1901, only a few have ever been exhibited before. A wide range of forms and media is represented, with regional strengths in the central and southern states. While some objects were created self-consciously as tourist and folk arts for sale to outsiders, much of the collection was made for use in daily life. Most of the items were collected in the 1950s and 1960s, but some pieces date as far back as the seventeenth century.
Admission: $4
Museum Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.;
Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Wounan Baskets from the Panamanian Rainforest
Through December 31, 2005
Craft and Folk Art Museum
5814 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
The exhibition will include baskets of varying sizes enriched with the designs of the Panamanian rainforest flora and fauna, as well as photographs documenting the Wounan way of life.
Admission: $5
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Behind the Altar: Retablos
Through December 31, 2005
Craft and Folk Art Museum
5814 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
Retablos, better known as laminas in Mexico, are small oil paintings on tin, zinc, wood or copper which were used in home alters to venerate Catholic saints. This genre of folk art, deeply rooted in Spanish history, represents traditional religious beliefs in 17th, 18th, and 19th century Mexican culture. Colorful, spiritual, symbolic, allegorical, and historical are just a few of the words that best describe the unique art form.
Admission: $5
Museum Hours: Wednesday to Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Photo credit: c. Thor Swift, 1996
Nacimientos at Arte Américas
Through December 31, 2005
Arte Américas
1630 Van Ness
Fresno, CA
Nacimientos are a Mexican tradition where people recreate the birth of the Christ child in a manager in Bethlehem. Although it is considered a Mexican tradition, Nacimientos actually began in 1223, in the town of Grecio, Italy. According to some Catholic records, it was San Francisco de Asís who began Nacimientos as a way to recreate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Based on Fresno Arts Council Folk Arts Program
1996 collaborative study of the folk art traditions of Nacimientos in the Central Valley, Arte Américas has presented over the past years some of the best Nacimiento makers. In Mexico the Christmas season opens with the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12 and revolves around a series of Posadas beginning December 16 at participating homes, with special nativity scenes and the food of the season. Arte Américas will feature the Nacimientos in the main gallery.
Admission: Free
For more information visit Arte Américas’ website.
top
The Hopi: People of the Mesas
Through January 1, 2006
Riverside Metropolitan Museum
3580 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA
The Hopi: People of the Mesas examines traditional Hopi life through basketry, pottery, jewelry, and kachina dolls. Items chosen from the Museum’s permanent collection span a century, including yucca baskets from the 1890s and a quilt made in the year 2000.
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Traditions in Transition: Three Views of the Permanent Collection
Through January 8, 2006
San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
520 South First Street
San Jose, CA
The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles will open the doors of its new facility with the inaugural exhibition, Traditions in Transition: Three Views of the Permanent Collection, drawn from the Museum's holdings. The exhibition will give visitors a taste of the great diversity in textile traditions found around the world by featuring a wide variety of textile forms.
Divided into three parts, each component of Traditions in Transition: Three Views of the Permanent Collection will showcase a separate and distinctive aspect of the Museum's collections. Part One will look to the past with a sampling of 19th and early 20th century quilts and woven coverlets. Part Two will celebrate the abundant artistic output of the international community, including a selection of textiles and garments from the Porcella Collection, with pieces from the Middle and Far East, various Asian and Mediterranean cultures, Samoa, Mexico, and South America. Part Three will speak to the Museum's vision for the future by turning the spotlight on a growing collection of contemporary works from such artists as Jeanne Gray, Carolyn Lee Vehslage and Priscilla Sage.
Admission: $5
Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday;
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Thursdays
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
The Art of the Japanese Doll
Through January 8, 2006
Mingei International
Balboa Park
El Prado and the Plaza de Panama
San Diego, CA
The exhibition focuses on six categories of ningyo – gosho ningyo (palace dolls), hina ningyo (Girls' Day dolls), musha ningyo (Boys' Day dolls), isho ningyo (dolls of fashion and popular culture), karakuri ningyo (theater dolls, some of which are mechanical), and dolls relating to health. Carved from wood, the dolls are clothed in elegant, often elaborate, costumes with heads, hands and bodies that have the appearance of white porcelain, an effect achieved by application to the wooden base of gofun, a white pigment made from crushed clam and oyster shells and glue. Of special note is a four and one-half foot, uncostumed Bunraku puppet, a beautiful example of the mechanics of its art.
Guest Curator Alan Pate notes, “No other country in the world can boast as long-lived, vibrant and diverse a doll tradition as Japan. The doll in Japan holds layers of meaning and symbolism that anchor it more deeply in Japanese culture than its Western equivalent."
Admission: $6
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Big Drum: Taiko in the United States
Through January 8, 2006
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, California
With its thunderous rhythms and energetic movements, taiko is a powerful and popular style of group drumming. In Japanese, the word taiko translates to "big drum" or "fat drum." While drumming has always been a part of Japanese and Japanese American culture, it was not until the latter part of the twentieth century that taiko evolved into the ensemble form practiced and performed today. The pioneering American taiko groups were formed in California during the social and political tumult of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today, there are hundreds of groups throughout North America and Hawai'i.
Big Drum: Taiko in the United States is the first major museum exhibition about taiko in America. Through media arts pieces, artifacts, photographs, and artwork, the exhibition explores how the development of taiko in this country reflects the resilience of cultural traditions, the historical journeys of Japanese Americans, and the cultivation of new diverse communities.
Admission: $8
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Thursday evening until 8:00 p.m.
Visit the museum’s website to learn about a series of Taiko Concerts which complement the exhibit.
top
Wrapped In Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity
December 15, 2005 - January 19, 2006
African American Museum and Library at Oakland
659 14th Street
Oakland, CA
The cloth called kente, made by the Asante peoples of Ghana and the Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo, is the best known of all African textiles. Kente's renown has spread internationally. This strip-woven cloth began in the former Gold Coast of West Africa as festive dress for special occasions -- traditionally worn by men as a kind of toga and by women as an upper and lower wrapper. Besides its well-known use as spectacular apparel, kente also appears in many other important forms of regalia among the Asante and Ewe, including drums, shields, umbrellas, and fans.
Over the past forty years the cloth has been transformed into hats, ties, bags, and many other accessories worn and used on both sides of the Atlantic. Individual kente strips are especially popular in the United States when sewn into liturgical and academic robes or worn as a "stole." Kente patterns have developed a life of their own, appropriated as surface designs for everything from Band-Aids and balloons to beach balls and Bible covers. Kente, for many, bridges two continents, evoking and celebrating a shared cultural heritage.
Admission: Free
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 12:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Hearing Our Voices, Remembering Our Past, Embracing Our Future
Through January 8, 2006
California Indian Museum & Cultural Center
5250 Aero Drive
Santa Rosa, CA
The multimedia interpretative installation features contemporary oral histories from the Seventh Generation Fund and California State Library, Native Voices Project and live presentations by California Indians to complement regional displays of material cultural items on loan from the University of California at Berkeley Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology.
Admission: Free
Museum Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Shadows, Masks, and Music:
Aspects of the Performing Arts in Asia
Through January 22, 2006
Asian Art Museum
Tateuchi Thematic Gallery
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
The worlds of the performing arts and the visual arts intersect in numerous ways. Musical instruments, set designs, costumes, and masks, while intended to accent performances, have also been valued as aesthetic objects in their own right. This exhibit explores this connection featuring a selection of more than 50 instruments, masks, and other items that were used in various Asian theatrical, dance or musical performances. It also draws from the museum’s collection of painted and sculptural works that depict such objects or performances.
Admission: $10
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with extended hours every Thursday until 9:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Rustic Splendors: Kiln Treasures From Shiwan
Through March 2006
Pacific Heritage Museum
608 Commercial Street
San Francisco, CA
The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco and the Pacific Heritage Museum will cosponsor Rustic Splendors: Kiln Treasures from Shiwan. This exhibit of Chinese ceramics will feature one hundred forty one pieces, on loan from nineteen Bay Area collectors, ranging from the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644) to the present.
For more information call the Chinese Culture Center at (415) 986-1822 or visit the center’s website.
top
On the Red Road
Through March 2006
Marin Museum of the American Indian
Miwok Park
2200 Novato Blvd.
Novato, CA
This exhibit is a photographic essay depicting the cultural expression of America's first people. Over sixty color photographs grace the wall with dancers and family portraits. Beaded moccasins, purses, and eagle headdress from the late 1880's compliment the photographic display.
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Friday 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
A Chocó house, Darién, Panama, in the 1950s.
Photograph from the William and Evelyn Phillips Collection.
Passage to Panama: Past to Present
Through March 26, 2006
San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
1350 El Prado
San Diego, CA
Curated by Grace Johnson, Passage to Panama: Past to Present is based on the research, collections, and photographs of William and Evelyn Phillips taken in the 1950s. This exhibit describes the lives and culture of the Guaymí peoples of the mountains of Chiriquí and Veraguas and the Chocó peoples of the Darién in the 1950s.
The Chocó, currently known as the Wounaan/Embera people, live along the rivers in the Darién region of Panama. This exhibit centers on their environment and their daily life, including rituals and healing. The Museum's collection of baskets highlights Chocó culture, which is further detailed through displays of wooden bowls, hunting and fishing implements, traditional dress and jewelry, and carved wooden staffs.
The lives of the Guaymí, presently known as the Ngöbe, are recounted through their daily lives by looking closely at objects they use in their households, such as gourds and woven hats, as well as musical instruments associated with the balsaría ceremony. The exhibit also looks at how these indigenous groups are affected by other cultures by considering their art and economy, and examining the wide range of contemporary baskets, jewelry, and woodcarvings made for sale.
Photographs taken by Dr. Julie Velasquez-Runk and Dr. Philip Young between 1997 and 2004 give a sense of the current life of indigenous peoples of the Darién. Contemporary photographs of Panama and historic and contemporary images of the Panama Canal illustrate life in Panama as it is today.
Admission: $6
Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
¡Carnaval!
Through April 23, 2006
Fowler Museum of Cultural History
UCLA Campus
Hilgard and Strathmore Avenues
Los Angeles, CA
This exhibit explores the revelry of Carnival festivals as they are enacted today in eight different geographic and cultural regions. This lavish exhibition presents approximately fifty elaborate costumes and numerous masks reflecting a range of masquerade and performance themes that represent traditions in these sites: Laza, Spain; Venice, Italy; Basel, Switzerland; Oruro, Bolivia; Tlaxcala, Mexico; Recife/Olinda, Brazil; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; and New Orleans. These unique celebrations and rituals are brought to life through photographic murals and short video programs of recent Carnival festivities in these locales, allowing visitors to explore the history and evolution and experience the sights and sounds of this vital celebration.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama
Through May 14, 2006
San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
1350 El Prado
San Diego, CA
The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama is a major traveling exhibition that presents a view of the Kuna culture as seen through its expressive arts: the Kuna's central concern for form and beauty in everyday life, narratives, rituals, healing, and visual arts such as Kuna women's molas (textiles). The Kuna people live on the San Blas islands and Atlantic coastline of Panama. The exhibit showcases Kuna culture through a wide range of objects including baskets, wooden objects, molas, and gold jewelry. Large-scale photo panels with supportive descriptive panels and visual documentation, depicted in an environment suggestive of a Kuna village and video stations add depth to the presentation.
Admission: $6
Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Norway –Art of the Land and the People
Mingei International
Balboa Park
El Prado and the Plaza de Panama
San Diego, CA
This exhibit celebrates 100 years of Norwegian independence. On display are arts of daily life including metalwork, jewelry, festival costumes (bunads), textiles, rosemaling-decorated pottery and furniture, and a group of Norwegian-American immigrant chests from the 18th century. A substantial group of objects are on loan from the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa. Many others are from private San Diego collections.
Bunads, or festival dress, uniquely designed to represent their districts, are worn by both men and women on ceremonial occasions. Distinct from folk dress, but often inspired by traditional designs, bunads were first made in the 19th century. They are characterized by hand-woven textiles, elaborate embroidery and silver buttons and jewelry.
Rosemaling, or rose painting, flourished in rural Norway between the beginning of the 18th century and the last quarter of the 19th century. Based on foliage and flower motifs from the Renaissance and Baroque Periods found in the towns, rosemaling decorated rural pottery, furniture and interiors. As with bunads, styles of rosemaling varied from district to district.
Wood carving in Norway includes the chip technique (karveskurd), identified by its geometric patterns, and a low relief technique (flateskurd), emphasizing vine tendrils and leaves. After the building of the Cathedral of Oslo in 1699, in which the acanthus leaf with its vine tendril was a new decorative motif, a typically Norwegian motif emerged combining the acanthus and tendril with flowers, angels and Biblical scenes.
Admission: $6
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
December
Mystical Music of the Middle East
December 2, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
Beckman Auditorium
Cal Tech
Michigan Ave.
Pasadena, CA
This event features the Yuval Ron Ensemble with vocalist Najwa Gibran and woodwind player Yeghish Manukian, performing devotional music, sacred movement ritual, folkloric dance, stories and poetry. Guest artists include Whirling Dervish AZIZ and Arabic Folkloric dancer, Tamra-henna.
Admission: $20 for adults; $10 for youth
For more information call (626) 395-4652 or visit Cal Tech’s event website.
top
28th Annual December Nights
December 2 - 3, 2005 - 5:00 p.m.
Balboa Park
San Diego, CA
The Museum of Man Plaza will be transformed into the holiday traditions of Sweden, with the support of the Swedish Women's Educational Association. Swedish foods, including genuine Swedish meatballs, open-faced sandwiches, rosettes served with fresh whipped cream and preserves, and hot, spiced Swedish Christmas wine called glögg will be served. The annual Santa Lucia Procession is one of the most popular events. More than 80 museums and cultural organizations will open their doors for the event.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir 20th Annual Christmas Concert
December 3, 2005 – 7:30 p.m.
Paramount Theatre
2025 Broadway
Oakland, CA
The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, a multicultural, interfaith gospel choir, performs their 20th annual Christmas concert at Oakland’s historic Paramount Theatre.
Admission: $10 – $35
For more information visit the Choir’s website.
top
Kularts 20th Anniversary
December 3, 2005 – 6:00 p.m.
SomArts Cultural Center
934 Brannan St
San Francisco, CA
This event features music performances from the Northern and Southern Philippines, Mutya dancers, spoken word, and song, lechon and other Filipino foods, and jewelry and crafts from Mindanao Island for sale. Featured artists include the Alleluia Panis Dance Theater, Ating Tao Drum Circle, Danongan Kalanduyan, a former Master Artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, Likha Rondalla and the Rhapsodistas.
Admission: $20
For more information visit Kularts’ website.
top
Zhena Folk Chorus
December 3, 2005
11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Children’s Amphitheatre
Walt Disney concert Hall
111 S. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
Zhena Folk Chorus will present folk songs from Eastern Europe and Nikolai Massenkoff and his Russian Folk Festival will perform interpretations of traditional music and folk dance of Russia.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the music center’s website.
top
Greek and Armenian Music
December 3, 2005 – 1:00 p.m.
California Academy of Sciences
Academy Classroom
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
In a program entitled From Mt. Olympus to Mt. Ararat, the Koroyar Ensemble performs music from the eastern Mediterranean region, including lyrical love songs and ancient dance melodies, to the rhythm of the dumbeg (goblet-shaped hand-drum) and the daouli (double-headed drum).
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Holiday Hula Ho’ike 2005
December 3, 2005 – 7:30 p.m.
Sherwood Hall
940 N. Main Street
Salinas, CA
This event features performances by Ka Pā Hula `O Maluhia, Kumu Kāwika Keikiali’i Alfiche & Hālau `O Keikiali’i.
Admission: $35
For more information visit Ka Pā Hula `O Maluhia’s website.
top
Japanese Family Festival
December 4, 2005
10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
This event celebrates the artistic and cultural traditions of Japan, featuring performances by Gen Taiko, a participant in ACTA’s Living Cultures Program, Japanese Bilingual, Bicultural Program (JBBP) West Choir, and a puppet performance of the Japanese folktale Urashima. Uncover the mysteries of the museum’s collection on a docent family tour. Artists will also demonstrate brush-painting, woodblock printing, doll making and clay.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10.
For more information see the Asian Art Museum website.
top
Las Posadas Mexican Christmas Program
December 4, 2005
5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
The Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA
The Bowers Museum hosts Las Posadas, a re-enactment procession of Mary and Joseph seeking refuge in Bethlehem with singers, dancers, musicians, a piñata, traditional tamales and hot chocolate, and Santa Claus.
Admission: Free
For information call (714) 241-7527 or visit the museum’s website.
top
Chhandam School of Kathak Dance – Free Open Houses at Five Bay Area Chhandam Branches
Chhandam School of Kathak Dance, founded and directed by Kathak maestro, Pandit Chitresh Das, will be hosting five free open houses across the Bay Area.
San Francisco Branch
December 4, 2005
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Cultural Integration Fellowship
2650 Fulton @ 3rd Avenue
For further information, please contact Rachna Nivas at rachna@kathak.org
San Jose Branch
December 10, 2005
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
American Musical Theatre of San Jose
1717 Technology Drive
For further information, please contact Anjali Nath at anjali@kathak.org
Union City Branch
December 10, 2005
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 pm
Joanne Brown Dancers
33535 Western Avenue
For further information, please contact Joanna Meinl at joanna@kathak.org
Berkeley Branch
December 11, 2005
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance
729 Heinz Avenue
For further information, please contact Dmitra Smith at dmitra@kathak.org
Mountain View Branch
December 11, 2005
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Pacific Ballet Academy
295B Polaris Avenue
For further information, please contact Farah Shaikh at farah@kathak.org
top
Migration – The Uncertain Journey - 24th Annual Encuentro del Canto Popular 2005
December 9 – 10, 2005
Brava Theater
2781 24th St.
San Francisco, CA
Latin musicians from Puerto Rico, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela will come to San Francisco's Mission to celebrate and commemorate their journey of migration, and also their struggles, achievements, and spirit through music at the 24th Annual Encuentro del Canto Popular. Performers include Maria Loreto, Silvia Parra, El Son del Pueblo music from Veracruz, Mexico, Meli, Rennea, and Jan Carlos y Jeanna Ureña from Costa Rica.
For more information visit Encuentro’s website.
top
7th Annual Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival
December 9 – 11, 2005
Monterey Conference Center
1 Portola Plaza
Monterey, CA
The festival will feature performers and western artisans displaying their crafts, 9 shows scheduled over 3 days, a western dance, Cowboy Church, silent auction, and poetry workshops with Paul Zarzyski and Charley Hendren.
Admission: $15 - $35
For more information visit the festival’s website.
top
Ali Akbar College of Music Concert
December 10, 2005 – 8:00 p.m.
215 West End Ave.
San Rafael, CA
This concert features Alam Khan on sarode, Debopriyo Sarkar on tabla and Manik Khan on tanpura.
Admission: $20
For more information call (415) 454 – 6254 or visit the College’s website.
top
Drone Magic
December 10, 2005 – 7:30 p.m.
Croatian American Cultural Center
60 Onandaga Drive
San Francisco, CA
This concert features piping and dancing traditions of Europe performed on St. Lucia's Day, Christmas, and the New Year. Artists will perform music from Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Scotland, France, England, Sweden, Bulgaria, and Spain. Traditional Hungarian goulash and pastries by Erika Vasas will be available for purchase throughout the evening.
Admission: $15
For more information visit the Croatian American Cultural Center's Website.
top
Winter Festival of Music & Dance and Holiday Bazaar
December 10, 2005
The Russian Center of San Francisco
2450 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA
This event features Russian music, authentic Russian food, and arts and crafts.
For more information visit the Russian Center’s website.
top
Hmong New Year Festival in Long Beach
December 10 – 11, 2005
9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Golden Grove Section of Eldorado Park
7550 E. Spring Street
Long Beach, CA
The Hmong Association of Long Beach is hosting a Hmong New Year Festival in Long Beach. The event features Hmong dance, qeej (mouth organ) performances,
kvw txhiaj, ball toss, folk storytelling, top spinning, traditional clothing, foods, and folk art booths.
For more information call Mao Cha (562) 247-6523.
top
Bonsai by the Bonsai Society of San Francisco
December 10 – 11, 2005
12:00 p.m. - 5:00 pm
Asian Art Museum
North Court
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
This event features examples of bonsai (potted trees and plants grown and tended to in such a way so that they appear to be small and old). Members of the Bonsai Society of San Francisco will demonstrate certain aspects of creating bonsai.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Klezmer Music Salon
December 15, 2005 – 6:30 p.m.
Judah L. Magnes Museum
2911 Russell Street
Berkeley, CA
Bay Area Klezmer pioneers Stu Brotman and Josh Horowitz perform and discuss Jewish Klezmer music from central Europe.
Admission: $8
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Singing the Birds (Wikitmallem Tahmuwhae)
December 17, 2005
11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The Pavilion Auditorium
Sunrise Park
401 South Pavilion Way
Palm Springs, CA
Traditionally, music and dance played a significant role in Cahuilla culture and daily life. Today, bird songs and dance are one of the last and most important components of the living Cahuilla culture. The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum will celebrate this honored tradition with its first ever, Singing the Birds (Wikitmallem Tahmuwhae) Annual Bird Song and Dance Festival. This event is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the art of bird singing and dancing and will include scheduled performances, inter-tribal bird dancing, tap-out contest with prizes, food and beverages, and Native American vendors.
For more information, call the museum at 760-778-1079 or visit their website.
top
Las Posadas Celebration
December 17, 2005
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Casa de Adobe
Highland Park
4605 N. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA
Las posadas is Spanish for “the inns.” This traditional Mexican holiday festival commemorates Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem. Participants can join the procession and sing traditional verses. There will also be piñatas and champurrado, a special hot chocolate thickened with corn meal, and pan dulce, Mexican sweet bread. Space is limited to the first 75 guests and reservations are not available.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Navidad en Whittier
December 18, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.
Whittier College
Shannon Center
6760 Painter Ave.
Whittier, CA
The event features Danza Floricanto/USA performing traditional posadas songs, conchero dancing in honor of the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe, and schotises, polkas and waltzes from the turn of the century. Dancers explore the holiday season as it is celebrated in the various specific regions of Mexico, such as Tabasco, Yucatan, Chiapas and Jalisco, as well as the more contemporary pieces that have come to form part of Mexican Folk dance.
For more information visit Danza Floircanto/USA’s website.
top
Hanukkah Family Program
December 18, 2005 – 2:00 p.m.
Judah L. Magnes Museum
2911 Russell Street
Berkeley, CA
The Magnes museum celebrates Hanukkah with stories of light and miracles, told by local authors.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Hanukkah Family Festival
December 18, 2005
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Skirball Cultural Center
Skirball Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA
This event features performances by musician and storyteller Shira Kline, singer Phranc, and the Angahara Dance Ensemble, who will perform Jwala, a piece that celebrates light as a symbol of hope, faith, and liberty in both the Hindu and Jewish traditions, choreographed by Ramaa Bharadvaj, a former master in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program. Families can also make paper lanterns, clay oil lamps, edible dreidels, and view the newly acquired Koder family Hanukkah lamp from Cochin, India.
Admission: $8
For more information visit the Skirball Cultural Center’s website.
top
Knights, Mystics, Partisans, and Scribes: Heroes of the Yiddish World
December 18 – 24, 2005
Skirball Cultural Center
Skirball Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA
Formed by a millennium of turbulent history and a vast literature, it should come as no surprise that the Yiddish-speaking world has produced a unique array of real and imaginary heroes. The Art of Yiddish 2005 explores these champions, from knights and songmasters to grande dames and partisans.
The Art of Yiddish presents a weeklong exploration of this language and culture in depth. Morning language classes range from entry-level to skilled, with a new class focusing only on conversation. Instructors include Yitshok Niborski, Pesakh Fiszman, Sheva Zucker, Sheila Liberman, and Yakov Basner.
Afternoon workshops include special song sessions with maestro Theodore Bikel and the Strauss/Warschauer Duo. Lectures in English and Yiddish reveal how Yiddish culture has profoundly and often comically influenced and been influenced by surrounding cultures. Historian Dr. Samuel Kassow describes the roles played by Yiddish champions for truth and justice in Eastern Europe. A film night features the riveting documentary The Partisans of Vilna by Josh Waletsky on young Jewish resistance fighters during World War II.
For more information visit the Skirball Center’s website.
top
6th Annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration
December 24, 2005
3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center
135 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
A six-hour seasonal music and dance show produced by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. The program includes more than forty performing groups from throughout L.A. County, including choirs, music ensembles, and dance companies that the vibrant spectrum of cultures found in southern California. The performers include the Mariachi Divas, Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Viver Brasil Dance Company, and Kim Eung Hwa Korean Dance Academy, among others. Doors open at 2:30 pm. Patrons may come and go throughout the performance. Reservations for tickets to the show are not necessary. Those who can’t attend may watch the live broadcast of Holiday Celebration on KCET, LA’s public television station.
Admission: Free
Free parking at the Music Center parking garage.
For more information visit the Holiday Celebration’s website.
top
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir
December 24, 2005
Slim’s Annual Christmas Concert
333 11th St.
San Francisco, CA
The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir is a multiracial interfaith choir that performs traditional black church music.
For more information visit the Choir’s website.
top
Joya no kane – 20th Annual Japanese New Year’s Bell-Ringing Ceremony
December 31, 2005
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
In Japan, temple bells are rung 108 times to represent the leaving behind of the 108 earthly desires. It is hoped that with each reverberation, the bad experiences, wrong deeds, and ill luck of the past year will be wiped away in preparation for a new, fresh year. The program will begin with a shakuhachi (bamboo flute) performance featuring Zen music by John Singer. Following this, a Buddhist priest will lead participants in the ceremonial bell ringing. Numbered tickets to ring the bell will be distributed in South Court starting at 10:00 am, one to each family or group, on a first come first served basis.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the Asian Art Museum’s website.
top
January
Okinawan Taiko Workshop and Concert
January 6, 2006
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Concert at 7:30 p.m.
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA
Zampa Ufujishi-Daiko has designed a special workshop for intermediate and advanced drummers. Participants can enhance their practice by learning rhythms and techniques unique to Okinawa. Advanced registration is required. Zampa Ufujishi-Daiko will perform in the evening.
Admission: $25
For more information call (213) 625-0414 or visit the museum’s website.
top
Oshogatsu: New Year Family Day Festival
January 8, 2006
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA
This festival features traditional rice cake pounding by Kagami Kai Taiko of San Francisco, storytelling by Rodney Kageyama, a performance by Zampa Ufujishi-Daiko, and activities for kids.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Pine Needle Basket Making
January 14, 2005
10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
Village Green Heritage Center
219 South Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA
Basketry can be used for utilitarian or decorative purposes. Basket materials represent various regions and styles. Mary Pryor will teach students how to create a mountain-style pine needle basket. Materials for basket construction will be provided.
Admission: $35
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
California Indian Ethnobotany
January 14, 2006
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
California Academy of Sciences
Academy Classroom
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
This day of programs focuses on the traditional uses of regional plants by California Indian tribes in daily and ceremonial life. Human settlement in California is a story of adaptation to a variety of climatic and ecological systems that determined cultural differences between tribal groups. The first Californians relied on natural resources in their local environments to provide shelter, clothing, food, and everyday utensils, and knowledge of plant use was handed down through the generations.
In this special presentation, Ruth Orta (Ohlone) grinds acorns into coarse flour - part of the process for making acorn soup, once a nutritional food staple of California Indians. David Snooks (Washoe) paints geometric designs on gourds and adds beading to make unique works of art; he will also display cradleboards fashioned from willow by his mother, Juanita Snooks. Mona Garibay (Ohlone) uses the fibrous bulb of the soaproot plant to make brushes, and Sabrina Garibay (Ohlone) uses the thigh-spinning method to make cordage from dogbane fibers. Kathy Wallace (Hoopa), a former Master Artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, demonstrates the twining techniques of basket-making, and Paul Stone (Paiute/Washoe) makes flutes from elderberry wood and cedar.
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
Korean Classical Music and Dance
January 26, 2006
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA
Dr. Don Kim and his ensemble perform traditional Korean folk and court music and dance. Performers in traditional costume will play the samulnori, a percussion instrument, and the kayagum, a 12 string sitar.
Admission: $22
For more information call (714) 567-3679 or visit the museum’s website.
top
John Reicshman and the Jaybirds
January 28th, 2006 – 8:00 p.m.
The Encino Community Center
4935 Balboa Blvd.
Encino, CA
The Bluegrass Association of Southern California in partnership with The California Traditional Music Society presents John Reischman and The Jaybirds. With a unique traditional sound, the mandolin master and his band are known for original songs and instrumentals, vocals and interpretations of songs from the old-time repertoire presented with their own bluegrass twist. In addition to John, the Jaybirds include veterans Jim Nunally on guitar and vocals, Trisha Gagnon on bass and vocals, Nick Hornbuckle on banjo and Greg Spatz on fiddle.
Admission: $24
For further information call (818) 933-8907 or visit the Bluegrass Association of Southern California’s website.
top
Lunar New Year Celebration
January 29, 2006
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m
Oakland Museum
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA
The Oakland Museum celebrates the Year of the Dog with lion dancing, mochi pounding and tasting with Kagami Kai, the Red Panda Acrobats, a bonsai exhibit and demonstration led by Soho Sakai, a Tibetan butter sculpture demonstration, traditional Chinese music, an artists' market place, storytelling, art activities, and food and craft vendors.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $8
For more information visit the museum’s website.
top
County & Regional Calendars
A calendar of Festivals and Celebrations in San Diego is available from the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
Let us know if you have special information that should be posted here.
To update information or submit an event for the calendar,
please email ACTA.
top
