To update information or submit an event, email ACTA.
Asian Lunar New Year Events in California
Go to the separate listing of these events.
February
Baskets of Asia
UC Davis Design Department Museum
January 30 - March 4, 2005
145 Walker Hall
UC Davis Campus - Davis, CA
This exhibition focuses on the relationship of baskets to agriculture in Southeast Asia. A basket demonstrates the agricultural journey: from harvest, to food storage, preparation, and presentation. Each basket is a piece of sculpture in fiber, created from a sophisticated vocabulary of techniques. Ornamental knots are often repeated in one piece, sometimes slightly altered in form or size, and chosen to contrast with the plaiting and other knotting in the architecture of the basket. While unnecessary to a feeling for its form, understanding the structure of the basket deepens our appreciation for the weaver's art.
Curator Lecture: Sunday, January 30, 2005, 1 p.m.; Reception 2-4 p.m.
Hours: Monday – Friday 12:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.; Sundays 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
For more information call (530) 752-6150 visit the museum website.
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Botánica Los Angeles: Latino Popular Religious Art in the City of Angels
Through March 6, 2005
UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
UCLA North Campus
Best described as an ever-evolving combination of spiritual center, religious supply house, and alternative healthcare facility, the botánica is fast becoming a key feature of the sacred, social, and visual landscape of Los Angeles. Generally associated with folk Catholicism and other Latin American religious traditions, the hundreds of botánicas in Southern California are sites of spirit-infused artistry, ceremonial activity, and community building, especially among Latinos. Botánica Los Angeles explores these fascinating venues and their role in transmitting, transforming, and critiquing traditional faiths.
The exhibition opens with a recreation of a typical botánica: chock-full of sacred objects typically offered for sale, including candles, incense, religious sculptures of saints and buddhas, curative potions, shrines, chromolithographs, and more. What follows is a series of elaborate altars/shrines created by local practitioners—including a shrine for the popular Guatemalan folk saint San Simón, like one by Carlos Arana Figueroa Martínez; an ornate “throne” for the Afro-Cuban deity Eleggua, by Felipe García Villamil, a master Afro-Cuban Batá dummer in ACTA’s apprenticeship program, and his wife Valeria; a Puerto Rican spiritual altar by Ysamur Flores-Peña and Dorothy Flores; and two shrines to several African spirits, male and female, one by Charles Guelperin and another by Sonia Gastelum—that showcase both the diversity and continuity among botánicas in Los Angeles.
Admissions: Free
Museum Hours: Wednesday – Sunday: Noon – 5:00 p.m.;
Thursday Noon – 8:00 p.m.; Closed Monday and Tuesday
For more information about the exhibit, including a map to the museum, visit the museum website or call ( 310) 825-4361.
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Mithila Paintings: The Evolution of an Art Form
January 12 through March 26, 2005
Museum of Craft & Folk Art
Fort Mason Center, Landmark Building A
San Francisco, CA 94123
For centuries, women of the Mithila region of Bihar, India painted colorful images on the walls and floors of their homes in order to create protective and auspicious spaces for their families and their life cycle rituals. In 1966, due to the encouragement by cultural leaders who saw the potential to create an accessible art form, the painters began transferring their work to paper. Since then the subjects of these paintings have expanded dramatically to include colorful, graphic images of classic tales, local legends, daily life, autobiographies, and contemporary social criticism. This exhibition traces the development of these paintings from their ritual folk art sources to their current state as artistic, cultural expressions and internationally recognized fine art.
Admission: $4
Museum hours: Tuesday through Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.;
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; First Wednesday of each month 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and free admission
For more information visit the museum website or call (415) 775-0991.
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Origami Masterworks- Innovative Forms of the Art of Paperfolding
(Continuing)
Mingei International Museum – Balboa Park
1439 El Prado
San Diego, CA
For almost 1900 years masters taught their students the techniques and designs of origami by demonstrating the same models they had been taught. Thus, at the beginning of the 20th century, only about 150 origami models existed. Today, thanks to several inventive and generous artists, there are thousands of models being folded worldwide.
Admissions: $3 - $6
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
For more information see the Mingei International Museum website
or call (619) 239-0003.
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Russian Festival 2005
February 11—13, 2005 -
Times Vary
Russian Center of San Francisco
2460 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA
The 17th Annual Russian-American Celebration of Food, Dance, Music and Art featuring Russian dancers and singers, traditional Russian food and pastries, tea from antique samovars, lacquer boxes from Paleqh, Baltic amber jewelry, and a vodka tasting bar.
February 11, 2005: 5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
February 12, 2005: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
February 13, 2005: 11:00 a.m. – 7:15 pm.
Admission: $5—$8; children under 12 are FREE
For more information call (415) 921-7631 or visit the Center’s website.
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Indian Dolls
February 12, 2005— 10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 South Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA
Traditionally, Indian dolls were made out of clay, tule, or corn. Eva Salazar (Kumeyaay), master basketweaver in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, returns to the museum to teach the art of doll making. This class is recommended by the museum as a great craft class for those who enjoy spending an afternoon sewing.
Fee: $20.00
Ages: 16 and above
For more information see the museum website or call (760) 323-0151.
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The Social Evolution of Jazz at The California Academy of Sciences
February 12, 2005— 1:00 pm
Academy Classroom
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
In honor of African American Heritage Month, renowned jazz drummer Mr. E. W. Wainwright and his ensemble, The African Roots of Jazz, travel a musical journey that traces African-American musical forms such as jazz, gospel, and spirituals to their earliest beginnings in African cultures. The program features instrumental music, songs, theater performance, and audience participation .
Admissions: Free with museum admission of $2 - $7
For more information see the Academy’s website or call (415) 321-8385.
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Graciana Silva “La Negra”
February 12, 2005— 7:00 p.m.
Harold M. Williams Auditorium
The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049
"La Negra" Graciana Silva is considered the first lady of son jarocho, traditional music from Veracruz, Mexico. With direct, impassioned vocals and complex yet effortless counterpoint on harp, her music integrates vigorous African rhythms with Spanish melodies and Olmec Indian narratives. In this, her West Coast debut, she is joined by longtime friends Felipe Ochoa Reyes on jarana and Miguel Romero Uscanga playing requinto.
Admission: Free to the public with reservations.
For tickets call (310) 440-7300 or visit the Getty Center website for more information.
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Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras
February 12, 2005—8:00 pm
February 13, 2005—7:00 pm
Zellerbach Hall - UC Berkeley Campus
Bancroft Way (at Telegraph)
Berkeley, CA
Sara Baras began dancing at the age of eight at her mother's flamenco school in Cadiz, Spain. She has received Spain's most prestigious dance award, the 2004 Premio Nacional de Danza. Performing with her company, Baras, she will present the Bay Area premiere of her suite of dances, Sueños.
Admission: $28 / $38 / $56
For more information or to purchase tickets visit the San Francisco Flamenco website.
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Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble
February 12, 2005—7:30 pm
Freight & Salvage Coffee House
1111 Addison Street
Berkeley, CA 94702
The Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble plays a mix of traditional vocal and dance music from the 16th through the 19th centuries, from both Eastern and Western Armenia. Under the direction of Fresno resident John Chookasezian, this septet performs on traditional instruments. The ensemble features John on clarinet and his wife Barbara as principal vocalist, along with Vergine Alimian on kanun (lap harp), Henrick Avoyan on traditional drums, Peter Dorian on oud (lute), Suren Mekhrabian on tarr (double-bodied lute), Albert Vardanyan on duduk (wooden flute), and Sarkis Petrosyan on santur (hammered dulcimer).
Admission: $18.50
For more information call (510) 548-1761 or see their website.
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Believe – A Tsunami benefit event for UNICEF
February 17, 2005, 7:30 p.m.
Osher Marin Jewish Community Center
200 N. San Pedro Road
San Rafael, CA
Classical music and dance from South Asia and beyond featuring performances by Alam Khan on sarode, Debashish Chauduri on tabla, Sukhawat Ali Khan on sufiana kalam, Ferhan Qureshi on tabla, Ganesh Kumar on kanjira and Tabla Rasa. Special guest performances by Yair Dalal on oud and Charlotte Moraga from the Chitresh Das Dance Company. Yair Dalal is a mentor with ACTA’s Folk and Traditional Arts Mentorship Initiative specializing in Iraqi-Jewish music. Presented by Ali Akbar College of Music, Bansuri, San Francisco World Music Festival, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, Tabla Rasa & Astral Audio.
Admission: $25 suggested donation
For more information call (415) 444-8000 or visit the Astral Audio website.
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The Royal Thai Ballet In a Traditional Masked Dance-Drama (Khon)
February 18, 2005—7:00 pm
Herbst Theatre
401 Van Ness Avenue at McAllister
San Francisco , CA 94102
Thailand’s classical dance-drama known as khon will be performed in celebration of the opening of the Asian Museum’s exhibition The Kingdom of Siam: The Art of Central Thailand 1350–1800 on view February 18–May 8. This performance will feature 13 dancers and musicians from Thailand’s National Theater Company.
One of Thailand's classical dance-drama traditions is the khon, which involves masked dancers, live music and a reciter, who poetically narrates and guides the dancers' movements. Performing intricate choreography, khon dancers mime scenes accompanied live by song and the dramatic classical music of the percussive “Piphat” ensemble. The khon performance is also characterized by the wearing of distinctive costumes and masks, which serve to identify individual characters. The repertory of the khon includes scenes from the story of Rama, the Indian hero who is immortalized in the famous Indian epic of the Ramayana. The four main types of characters of a typical khon performance are hero, heroine, demon, and monkey warrior.
The group performing at Herbst Theatre comprises 13 professional performers in the service of the Royal Thai Government's Ministry of Education, based at the National Theatre of Thailand's Department of Fine Arts. Each performer has been trained from a young age in classical Thai dance and music through the Department of Fine Arts. They are Thailand's official performing arts troupe.
Admission: $19 – $39 Tickets are only available from City Box Office, 180 Redwood Street, Suite 100, San Francisco, CA 94102 Tel. (415) 392-4400; Fax. (415) 986-0411; or see their website.
For more information see the Asian Museum's website.
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The San Francisco Tamburitza Festival
February 18 & 20, 2005
The Slavonic Cultural Center
60 Onondaga Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94112
In the past decade the Slavonic Cultural Center has annually showcased tamburitza music in California. On President's Day weekend each February; the Center is filled with singing, dancing, and the music of the tamburitza. The ensembles perform for listening, play dance tunes, polkas and waltzes and circle dances, and sing Becar tunes until the bar closes late at night.
Tamburitza is a word with a variety of meanings. Most literally, it is the affectionate diminutive of tambura, any one of a number of long-necked fretted string instruments derived from those brought to the Balkan Peninsula by the Turks and Roma (Gypsies) in the 16th century.
For more information call (510) 649-0941 or visit the Center’s website.
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Cultural Traditions of Ecuador at The California Academy of Sciences
February 19, 2005—1:00 pm
Academy Classroom
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
Wearing hand-embroidered traditional dress, Martha Stammer-Brankline performs regional dances of Ecuador, including a chola dance from her hometown of Cuenca, and explains the cultural significance of each dance and costume.
For more information see the Academy’s website or call (415) 321-8385.
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West Coast Blues Hall of Fame & Awards Show
February 19, 2005
7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Calvin Simmons Theatre at the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center
10 Tenth Street
Oakland, CA
The West Coast Blues Hall of Fame and Awards Show will honor blues, jazz and gospel artists for their contributions to the art form called blues. As always this awards show is held in February to commemorate Black History Month. Other events will lead up to this year’s Hall of Fame Show including concerts, lectures on the history of blues and panel discussion on the state of blues music. Master of Ceremonies Greg Edmonds of KGO Radio will introduce the ten artists who will be inducted into the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame. The Bob Geddins Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to two people who have influenced a generation of Blues and R&B musicians. General Category Awards will be given to blues singer of the year, blues guitarist of the year, blues sax of the year, blues drummer of the year, etc.
Funds for this event will support the Bay Area Blues Society’s “Blues in the Schools Program.”
Admission: $20 in advance, $25 at the door; $10 senior/students with ID in advance, $15 senior/student with ID at the door.
For more information contact (510) 836-2227 or visit the Bay Area Blues Society website.
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Masters of Persian Classical Music
February 27, 2005, 7:00 p.m.
Zellerbach Hall - UC Berkeley Campus
Bancroft Way (at Telegraph)
Berkeley, CA
This Grammy-nominated ensemble features vocalist Mohammed Reza Shajarian. He is joined by kamancheh (spiked fiddle) player Kayhan Kalhor, who also performed at Cal Performances with Yo-Yo Ma on the Silk Road Project and has composed for such other ensembles as Kronos Quartet; tar (plucked lute) and setar (Persian sitar) player Hossein Alizadeh; and Shajarian's son, Homayoun, on the tombak (hand drum).
Admission: $24-$48
See the UC Berkeley campus website calendar.
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Nagauta Shiki No Kai Concert
February 27, 2005—3:00 p.m.
Torrance Cultural Arts Center James Armstrong Theater
3330 Civic Center Drive
Torrance, CA
Before and after the World War II, Los Angeles was the hub of Japanese
culture in the United States. Japanese music such as nagauta, the form of music traditionally performed as the accompaniment to Japanese Kabuki theater, was enjoyed
and practiced by many teachers. But those teachers dwindled as time went
by and just in the past fifteen years three teachers have passed away.
The
Japanese Traditional Performing Arts Organization (JTPAO) had concerns about the
future of nagauta music in Los Angeles so last year the organization
conducted a three-day shamisen workshop at the Japanese American Cultural
Community Center by inviting grand master Kineya Yakichi from Japan. Those students who participated in the master class of this workshop got together and decided to form a nagauta group called Nagauta Shiki no Kai which consists of ten charter members.
This is the first time students from different teachers have come together and formed a
performing group to give a concert. They invited Kineya Katsuyukie and
Living National Treasure of Japan Katada Kisaku to help them celebrate this
special inaugural concert. This concert is partially funded by ACTA’s Traditional Arts Development Program.
Admission: $25
For more information call (310) 378-3550 or see the JTPAO website.
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March
Celebrate Norouz, The Persian New Year
March 1, 2005
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Celebrate Norouz, the Persian New Year making a Haft-Seen, a traditional Persian display of items meant to bring good things in the New Year. The Persian New Year begins each spring on the day of the vernal equinox; Haft-Seen literally means seven things that start with S. Co-sponsored with Butimar Productions.
Admission: Free on Tuesdays
For more information visit the museum website or call (415) 581-3500.
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Bridging the Pacific with Native Voices
The 6th Southern California Indian Storytelling Festival
March 5, 2005—9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Palm Springs Public Library
300 South Sunrise Way
This festival will feature a cultural exchange between Native California Indian and Hawaiian storytellers: Bridging the Pacific with Native Voices the 6th Southern California Indian Storytelling Festival at the Palm Springs Public Library in Palm Springs, California. Native storytellers from California and Hawaii will present storytelling performances and presentations on indigenous oral traditions and language.
For information call: 760-778-1079, extension 105
email: festival@cistory.org or visit the California Indian Storytelling Festivals website.
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Songs of the Sea
March 5, 2005—1:00 pm
California Academy of Sciences
Academy Classroom
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
To the accompaniment of fiddle, tin whistle, and guitar, Peter Kasin and Richard Adrianowicz perform a selection of sea shanties that describe the typical daily life of sailors in the days of wind-driven ships. Sung in unison, shanties were team work songs that helped keep the rhythm of monotonous shipboard chores and activities.
Admissions: Free with museum admission of $2 - $7
For more information see the California Academy of Sciences website or call (415) 321-8385.
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Alumni Performance by Malathi Iyengar & Rangoli Dance Company
March 12, 2005
Department of World Arts & Cultures
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Malathi Iyengar, a Master Artist in Round 5 of ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, will perform with her ensemble, the Rangoli Dance Company at WAC IS BACK, the opening ceremony of Glorya Kaufman Hall.
Fore more information call (310) 825-0166 or see the Rangoli Dance Company website.
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125th Bok Kai Festival
March 12-13, 2005
Downtown Marysville, CA
The 125th Bok Kai Festival, reputed to be the oldest continually held parade in California, will occur March 12th & 13th in downtown Marysville. The Festival opens with a Pancake Breakfast at 7:00 a.m., followed by a 5K Run/Walk. Registration for the Run/Walk begins in front of the Bok Kai Temple on 1st Street at 8:15 a.m.; The Run/Walk starts at 9:00 a.m. The Parade, starting 11:00 a.m, begins on 6th and D Streets, and is followed by Lung Huang, the 150-ft golden dragon as he noisily winds and dances his way through the historic town of Marysville.
Lung Huang's entourage includes lion dancers, martial arts demonstrations, floats and more. Lung Huang is currently been in the Bok Kai Festival since 1991. Following the parade, scheduled multi-cultural entertainment includes Lion Dancing & Martial Arts by the Hop Sing Society will take place at the corner of 3rd and D Street.
"Bomb Day” activities are scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 13th when 100 handmade ceremonial "bombs" will be tossed into the air followed by a mad dash for the lucky rings contained inside the individual bombs. This colorful activity, known as "The Firing of the Rings" is punctuated by the vivid snapping and popping of fireworks. Lion Dancing & Martial Arts will also take place on Sunday presented by the Suey Sing Society. All Activities are free and ample parking is available.
For more information see the Bok Kai Festival website.
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Radio Bilingüe’s 23rd Annual Viva el Mariachi Festival & Workshops
March 12 – 13, 2005
Fresno, CA
Festival
Radio Bilingüe’s 23rd Annual Viva el Mariachi Festival features Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, Mariachi México de Pepe Villa, and Nati Cano y Los Camperos, among others. The festival will be held on March 13, 2005 from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. Tickets range from $7 - $31, and Tables of 10 can be purchased for $400 - $1,000. A special Mariachi Mass, free to the public, will be held Sunday morning at 7:45 a.m. at St. John's Cathedral located at 2814 Mariposa St., Fresno, CA 93721.
To purchase tickets for the festival, visit the ticketmaster website or the Fresno Convention Center Box Office at 700 M Street, Fresno, CA 93721 or call (559) 621-4700.
Check the Radio Bilingüe website for more information or call (559) 455-5777.
Workshops
The annual ¡Viva el Mariachi! Festival is an opportunity for students of mariachi music to learn new skills and techniques from professional mariachi musicians. The workshops, open to ages 10 and up, offer instruction for beginners, intermediate and advanced musicians on traditional instruments - violin, vihuela, guitar, guitarrón, and trumpet. Instruction is also offered to students of voice.
Nati Cano y Los Camperos will serve as the instructors for intermediate and advanced level students, while the beginning level students and voice students will be taught by Juan Morales with Mariachi Tenochtitlán.
The workshop classes will be held Saturday March 12, on the campus of California State University, Fresno. Advance registration is encouraged, as space is limited. Registration fees are $35 if received by February 11, $45 after February 12 and until March 4. After that, registration is $55 and
subject to availability. An optional boxed lunch will be $5.00.
Workshop registration fees include one day of instruction, sheet music, and admission to the grand Festival on Sunday. Also, all students may participate in the Festival program on Sunday.
Those interested in registering may contact the workshop coordinators-the Alliance for California Traditional Arts at (559) 237-9812 or Radio Bilingüe, to speak with someone in Spanish, at (559) 455-5777.
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20th Annual Jewish Music Festival
March 19 – April 3, 2005
Berkeley, San Francisco, and Marin
The Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center (BRJCC) presents the 20th Annual Jewish Music Festival. The event features nine performances between March 19 and April 3, at various locations in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Marin. This event is partially funded by ACTA’s Folk and Traditional Arts Mentorship Initiative.
To purchase tickets call (415) 276-1511 or visit BRJCC’s website.
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Gourd Art & Jewelry
Saturday March 19, 2005
10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday March 20, 2005
11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 South Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA
Gourds are a significant material and can be used for multiple purposes. Amil Pedro (Cahuilla/Quechan) returns to the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum to share his knowledge in producing art and jewelry out of gourd materials. The class will entail cutting, cleaning, and painting of gourds. Participants are encouraged to dress appropriately.
Fee: $20.00
Ages: 16 and above
For more information see the museum website or call (760) 323-0151.
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Celtic Music
March 19, 2005—1:00 p.m.
California Academy of Sciences
Academy Classroom
875 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA
In celebration of St. Patrick' Day (March 17th), the musical trio Distant Oaks performs a medley of Irish songs, in Gaelic and English, on traditional instruments - the uillean bagpipes, the Celtic harp, bodhran hand-drum - as well as stepdancing.
For more information see the California Academy of Sciences website or call (415) 321-8385.
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Chinese Stone Carving
March 19, 2005—1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
California Academy of Sciences
Main Floor Exhibit Area
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
Chinese artist Wang Lu Huan specializes in miniature, lifelike sculptures of animals; his favorite depictions are insects and amphibians. From hours of careful observation of the physical characteristics and behavior of his subjects, he portrays each form in accurate detail. Mr. Lu Huan will demonstrate his carving techniques and unique style using pyrophyllite, a rare and valuable metamorphic rock found mainly in Inner Mongolia.
For more information see the California Academy of Sciences website or call (415) 321-8385.
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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.
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