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CALENDARTo update information or submit an event, email ACTA. Hanukkah Lamps From Italy Through December 31, 2006 For more information visit the Skirball Cultural Center’s website.
Hidden Meanings: Symbolism in Chinese Art Through December 31, 2006  Water container in the shape of a pair of Mandarin duck, China. Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Porcelain. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1586. Symbolism abounds in the decorative arts of China, rendering clothing, personal adornment, and household objects rich with meaning. A gourd-shaped vase decorated with bats is more than just ornamental: it is a promising omen, as the gourd symbolizes fertility by virtue of its numerous seeds, and the imagery of bats implies the sentiment "blessings vast as the sky." By surrounding themselves with such symbols, many Chinese believed that wishes would be fulfilled. This exhibition unlocks the mysteries of these "hidden meanings” with more than 140 porcelains, jades, and textiles from the museum's acclaimed Avery Brundage Collection, all of which represent wishes for fertility, a harmonious marriage, wealth and prosperity, long life, and more. Hidden Meanings is organized into eight sections, seven of which are governed by the three Star Gods: Fu, Lu, and Shou. Fu (“blessings” or “happiness”) governs blessings, marriage, and children. Lu (literally, “official salary”) governs passing exams, gaining official rank, and obtaining wealth. Shou governs longevity. The exhibition concludes with a display of objects related to peace and wish granting. Admission: $10 Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. For more information visit the Asian Art Musum’s website.
Passage to Panama: Past to Present
A Chocó house, Darién, Panama,
in the 1950s. Through January 2007 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.
East Weaves West: Korean Women Make Art Through January 21, 2007
Photo: Craft and Folk Art Museum This exhibition presents textiles by Korean women living in the U.S., whose work integrates influences from both Korean and American cultures. The artwork will demonstrate how two cultural backgrounds are bridged together in the form of folk art as three contemporary Korean-American artists use traditional craft to create contemporary work. On display will be elements of Pojaki (wrapping cloth), Minhwa (folk painting), Hanji Kongye (paper arts) and Chun Gotgogi (cloth flower arranging). The exhibition artists and their artwork captures the essence of cultural process and its transcending nature through geography and time. Admission: $5 Museum Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Saturday – Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. For more information visit the Craft and Folk Art Museum’s website.
Apache Life, Spirit, and Art
For more information visit the Riverside Metropolitan Museum’s website.
Art of Being Tuareg: Sahara Nomads in a Modern WorldThrough February 25, 2007
Admission: Free Museum Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Thursday 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Photo: Fowler Museum For more information visit the Fowler Museum’s website.
Body Ornamentation: Artistic Representations of Self
Through March 27, 2007 There is no known culture in which people do not paint, pierce, tattoo, reshape, or simply adorn the unique canvas which is the human body. Diverse cultures throughout the world decorate their bodies in countless ways and for various reasons. This exhibit presents the beautiful designs and artwork depicted in body painting, tattooing, scarification, and piercing. While seemingly a modern phenomenon, the practice of permanently adorning the body has been prevalent in societies around the globe for thousands of years, and has been traced back to ancient nomadic gypsies in India and the Middle East. While tribal customs of permanent body decoration have almost disappeared, there are some regions on earth (northeastern India, the Amazon, and southern China, for example) where body ornamentation is still practiced in the same way it has been for generations. In other areas there has been a resurgence of interest in the old ways: throughout the American west, women wore chin tattoos celebrating rebirth and maturity and marking them, in the words of Julian Lang in News from Native California, as "people who had a deep connection to and understanding of our most important cultural knowledge." Today, Indian women in northern California are again bearing tattoos as expressions of cultural pride. Elsewhere, new customs and practices have enabled people to continue the tradition of decorating their bodies using different types of implements and different stylistic devices. (Excerpted from an article by Tori Heflin, Curator of Physical Anthropology) Admission: $6 Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily For more information visit the Museum of Man’s website.
Of Grass and Gold: Nomads of KazakhstanThrough April 15, 2007 
Photo: Mingei Museum The land of Genghis Khan and the crossroads for the major religions, Kazakhstan comes to life through artifacts at the Mingei Museum. Gold, silver, and bronze animal figures from archaeological discoveries, including those at frozen burial sites in Berel (a nomadic region on the border of Russia, Mongolia and China), are on display for the first time in this country. The exhibit also tells the stories behind these artifacts’ recovery, which weaves together the history and culture of Kazakhstan along with its mythology and tradition of craftsmanship. Admission: $6 Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. For more information visit the Mingei Museum’s website.
Makishi: Mask Characters of Zambia
Photo: Fowler Museum January 14, 2007 through April 29, 2007 This exhibit features twenty-four masks drawn from the Fowler Museum’s collections, showing the drama and complexity of the remarkable masquerade traditions of the Chokwe, Mbunda, Lunda, Luvale/Lwena, and Luchazi peoples who live in the “Three Corners” region of northwestern Zambia, northeastern Angola, and southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo. For more information visit the Fowler Museum’s website.
Guatemala! Celebrations of Weaving
Ongoing Guatemala! Celebrations of Weaving showcases textiles made by women of the Mayan villages in Guatemala. The exhibit includes examples selected from 30 villages located throughout the country. For ages before the Spanish arrived in Guatemala in 1524, the Ancient Mayan people wore clothing that they made on backstrap looms. This tradition has survived with their descendants in the mainly rectangular handwoven garments worn today. These include a woman's upper body garment called a huipil, skirts that can be wrapped around the body or tubular ones that can be stepped into, utility cloths called servilletas for everyday use and for ceremonies, and men's or women's headcloths called tzutes. They also make men's kilts (rodilleras), men's pants, women's shawls (rebozos and perrajes), sashes, and hair ribbons, all woven by hand. Men from some villages also knit wool carrying bags for themselves and for their sons. The clothing items shown in this exhibit were chosen principally for their beauty. Some were woven for daily wear, but most are special garments made to wear to fiestas, to funerals, for masses and weddings, and for cofradía, the religious ceremony unique to Guatemalan Indians. The women spend extra time and effort on clothing that they and their family members can wear to these events, making it more elaborate than clothing for everyday wear. Admission: $6 Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily For more information visit the Museum of Man’s website. DecemberShaab-e Yalda: The Winter Solstice December 21, 2006 The Persian holiday called Shaab-e Yalda (literally, the longest night) is an ancient tradition enjoyed with family and friends who gather to share music, stories, poetry, food, and dance. Bring family and friends to join us in celebration. The event features performances by Ballet Afsaneh, Nejad Music Ensemble, and student performers from the Alborz Farsi School, Nejad World Music Center Youth Orchestra and the Afsaneh Dance Academy. Reservation is required. Admission: Free For more information visit Ballet Afsaneh’s website.
Viver Brasil Dance Company 47th Annual Holiday Celebration December 24, 2006 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. This year’s performers include Nigerian Talking Drum Ensemble, Kitka, Djanbazian Dance Company, Khmer Arts Academy, Angahara Dance Ensemble, and Viver Brasil Dance Company. 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.
2006 – 2007 Hmong International New Year CelebrationDecember
26, 2007 – January 1, 2007  Photo: Hmong International New Year Celebration The Hmong New Year celebration in Fresno is a destination for Hmong
people from around the world drawing over 150,000 people each year.
For seven days, the festivities take place at the Fresno Fairgrounds
and include the wearing of traditional Hmong clothing, courtship games,
traditional singing and music, traditional food, and vendors of cultural
items. Admission: $3 For more information visit the event’s website.
21st Annual Japanese New Year’s Bell-Ringing Ceremony December 31, 2006 The Asian Art Museum carries on the ancient Japanese annual tradition in which a temple bell is struck 108 times in order that the bad experiences, wrong deeds, and ill luck of the old year may be left behind. Led by a Buddhist priest, visitors can take a turn ringing the museum's sixteenth-century bronze bell. This year's event also features a bamboo flute (shakuhachi) performance by John Singer. Admission: $10 For more information visit the Asian Art Museum’s website.
JanuaryOshogatsu: New Year Family Festival January 7, 2007 This event features crafts, including daruma puppets (a good luck charm to bring fortune and prosperity), origami, and bird pins, a craft developed by Japanese American World War II inmates. There will also be performances by Eth-Noh-Tec, and local taiko ensembles. Admission: Free For more information visit the Japanese American National Museum’s website.
Hungarian State Folk Ensemble January 10, 2006 – 8:00 p.m. Backed by a frenetic, traditional Roma orchestra, this lively 80-member company presents Hungarian song and dance. Admission: $35 For more information visit the Center Arts website.
Lian Ensemble in ConcertJanuary 12, 2006 – 8:00 p.m. February 17-18, 2007 – 8:00 pm Based in Los Angeles and led by virtuosi performers-composers Pirayeh Pourafar and Houman Pourmehdi (who have both participated as master artists in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program), Lian Ensemble is dedicated to fusing mystical Persian music with a diverse range of genres. Forging a path and sound all their own, this critically acclaimed ensemble's ever evolving repertoire features traditional as well as original music that is expanded, rearranged, and examined anew at each and every concert. For more information visit the Lian Records website.
Peking Acrobats January 16, 2006 – 7:00 p.m. The Peking acrobats perform traditional Chinese acrobatic traditions including juggling knives, precarious poses, and arresting acrobatics. Admission: $25 For more information visit the Center Arts website.
Gabor Simon & Danubius January 19, 2007 – 7:30 p.m. Gabor Simon will teach the Croatian and Hungarian Dances from around Baja, Hungary. Afterwards Danubius will play for dancing. Gabor is in the United States through October 2007 as visiting artist with the Eszterlanc Hungarian Folk Ensemble. Gabor holds two degrees in Hungarian folk dance instruction, from the Hungarian Dance Academy in Budapest, and also from the Eotvos Jozsef Teacher Training College, Faculty of Pedagogy in Baja, Hungary. His professional activities within Hungary include membership in three dance ensembles as well as serving as artistic director and choreographer of the Gorom Folk Dance Ensemble of Kalocsa and the Danubia Folk Dance Ensemble of Baja. Gabor was a member of Budapest Folk Dance Ensemble under the direction of Zoltan Zsurafszky, and toured with the production of “Csardas: the Tango of the East,” in 1998. Danubias presents Eastern European and Balkan music to San Francisco Bay Area audiences ranging from restaurant patrons to folk dancers. The traditional forms of the music are preserved, and at the same time given new life with our arrangements and interpretation. A Danubius performance combines hard-driving Southern Romanian tunes, Hungarian Gypsy restaurant favorites, Bulgarian dances and Macedonian melodies, juxtaposed to make a tapestry of sound while preserving the character of each distinct musical style. Admission: $15 For more information visit the Croatian American Cultural Center’s website.
Workshop on Southern California Indian Basketry January 20, 2007 In this one day workshop Lorene Sisquoc introduces participants to the materials and techniques used in Southern California Indian basketry. Participants can create a round reed creek-side basket. Cost: $75/Materials fee of $12 For more information visit the California Indian Basketweavers website.
Los Cenzontles January 20, 2006 – 8:00 p.m. A celebration of the variety and imagination of Mexican music, this show weaves together a wide range of brightly colored threads, from tropical sones jarochos of Veracruz to contemporary ballads, from traditional mariachi with foot-stomping zapateado dancing to heart-wrenching rancheras from the Mexican countryside. One of the special features of a Los Cenzontles show is the musicians' depth of knowledge of the traditional rural music and dance forms that lie at the roots of mariachi. One of the few groups currently exploring this unique branch of music, their performance features violins, guitarron (large bass guitar), vihuela (small guitar), and male and female vocal duets accompanying dancers, as heard on their recent album, Pasajero: A Journey of Time and Memory. The group's parent organization, Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center, in nearby San Pablo, has a two-decades-old history of teaching traditional arts as a means of strengthening youth, their families, and the local community. Admission: $18.50 For more information visit the Freight & Salvage website.
Traditional Native American Storytelling January 20, 27, and February 3, 2007 This course taught by Sandra L. Dixon examines the foundation of traditional Native American storytelling through analysis of comparative traditional forms with emphasis on its importance to religious and social values. Participants gain a historical, cultural and traditional overview of storytelling and are introduced to Native American storytellers. Registration: $260 for 2 units course credit For more information visit the California Indian Basketweavers Association website. FebruaryConversations on Art: The (Fabric)ation of Memory February 4, 2007 – 2:00 p.m. This panel discussion explores intergenerational dialogue through the medium of textiles. Jane Przybysz, Executive Director of San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, will moderate.. Panelists include Magnes REVISIONS artist Amy Berk; Consuelo Underwood, Bay Area textile artist and associate professor of fine arts at San Jose State University; and Beth Dungan, independent curator. Admission: $12 non-members For more information visit the Magnes Museum’s website.
Spirit Keepers Lecture: Local Efforts of Cultural Preservation
February 7, 2007 - 6:30 p.m. This is a panel presentation by local cultural preservation professionals from government agencies and Cahuilla reservations. Preserving their cultural heritage is a high priority for Cahuilla reservations, but this effort is also an integral part of the activities of federal and state agencies. Participants can learn more about how these entities preserve native history and culture through care of the environment, protection of archaeological sites, and promotion of traditional skills. Admission: Free For more information visit the museum’s website.
Southern California Indian Material Culture February 13 – March 27, 2006 This hands-on series is designed to enrich one's knowledge of local tribes' cultures, traditions, histories and contributions. Replicas created by participants go into a "cultural teaching kit" that can be used in various settings. Workshops include "Toys and Games, Plant Fibers/Cordage, Music and Instruments. Content includes several History/Social Science Standards for grades 3-5. Registration: $260 for 2 units course credit For more information visit the California Indian Basketweavers Association website.
County & Regional CalendarsA 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, |
The “art” of being Tuareg, a semi-nomadic
people of Niger, Mali, and Algeria, has fascinated travelers and scholars
alike throughout history. Art
of Being Tuareg, the first major U.S. exhibition on Tuareg art and culture,
considers the history and evolution of these peoples by exploring silver jewelry,
leather works including purses, bags, and saddles, and other highly decorated
items crafted by them.
