To update information or submit an event, email ACTA.
Native American Women’s Creations
Through August 25, 2007
Edward Dean Museum and Gardens
9401 Oak Glen Road
Cherry Valley, California
A traveling exhibition from the Riverside Metropolitan Museum collections.
For more information visit the Riverside Metropolitan Museum’s website.
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Harvest of Images / Cosecha de Imagenes
Photo: Tamejavi
Through August 30, 2007
Fresno City Hall
260 Fresno Street, Second Floor Lobby
Fresno, California
Tamejavi, the Fresno Arts Council, and Fresno City Hall presents Harvest
of Images / Cosecha de Imagenes, a photo exhibit that tells the story
of how some of the new immigrant groups arriving in California’s
Central Valley within the last 30 years are integrating through contributions
of their vivid artistic life.
For more information visit
Tamejavi’s
website.
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Weavings of War: Fabrics of Memory
Photo: San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
July 17 – September 23, 2007
San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
520 South First Street
San Jose, California
An eloquent and powerful testimony to the impact of modern warfare on our world and the relevance and resilience of folk arts in contemporary life, this exhibit explores themes of war as expressed in traditional textile arts. This exhibition showcases works that depict the horrors of war by mostly women artists and artisans from Central and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and South Africa. The exhibit includes an embroidered memory cloth from South Africa with chilling scenes of death and violence and a Hmong story cloth whose brilliant, happy colors belie its imagery of organized warfare.
This project has been made possible in part by a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program, in partnership with the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation.
Museum Admission: $6.50 adults, $5 seniors and students
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
For more information visit the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles’ website or call (408) 971-0323.
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Woven Witness: Afghan War Rugs and Afghan Freedom Quilt
Photo: San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
Through September 23, 2007
San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
520 South First Street
San Jose, California
Further exploring the impact of war on traditional textile arts, this exhibition takes a closer look at the influence of war on the evolution of traditional Afghan rug design, from the Russian invasion through the current U.S.–Taliban war.
Whether individual rugs were woven as political statements, personal reflections, or as souvenirs for soldiers, only the weavers could reveal for certain. Regardless of intent, these examples are a powerful testament to the relevancy of the rug form, its expressive capacity, and the ability of a people to adapt to the ravages of war.
Accompanying this exhibition, the Museum will also display the Afghan Freedom Quilt: Silenced Voices of the Afghan Diaspora, a collaborative project sponsored by the Foundation for Self-Reliance. The quilt is a collection of blocks made by war widows in Afghanistan and assembled in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pieces sewn for this quilt are symbolic interpretations of what human rights, empowerment, equality, peace, hardship, sisterhood and freedom meant to each individual contributor. The Foundation for Self-Reliance conducts life-skills training and economic empowerment programs for Afghan women immigrants.
Museum Admission: $6.50 adults, $5 seniors and students
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
For more information visit the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles’ website or call (408) 971-0323.
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Landscaping America: Beyond the Japanese Garden
Photo: Japanese American National Museum
Through October 21, 2007
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, California
Gardens were among the first forms of Japanese culture to gain popularity in the United States. Since their introduction to the American public at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Japanese-style gardens have proliferated across the country.
Landscaping America reveals the personal stories, historical journeys, creativity, and community processes that underlie the surface of the "Japanese garden." This multimedia exhibition highlights how West Coast Japanese Americans drew upon their agricultural and ethnic backgrounds to carve out a viable vocational niche in gardening, and in the process, reinterpreted Japanese garden traditions, and contributed to the diversity of the American landscape.
Curated by ACTA Board Member Sojin Kim.
Museum Admission: $8 adults, $5 seniors, $4 students and children
Museum Hours: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 11:00 am – 8:00 pm Thursday, Closed Monday
For more information visit the Japanese American National Museum’s website.
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Evolution of the ‘Ukulele: The Story of Hawaii’s Jumping
Flea
Photo courtesy of the Museum of Craft and Folk Art
Through October 21, 2007
Museum of Craft and Folk Art
51 Yerba Buena Lane
San Francisco, California
Providing an in-depth look at an eclectic musical tool, Evolution
of the ‘Ukulele presents the history, development, fine craft,
and contemporary fanaticism of this instrument. Some of the finest ‘ukuleles
ever crafted will be on display, drawn from local and national private
collections. The exhibition is a centerpiece for a ‘ukulele
music festival on September 7 and 8 featuring a benefit concert.
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Kumeyaay : Indigenous People of Southern California
Ongoing
San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
1350 El Prado
San Diego, California
When Father Junipero Serra entered the San Diego area in 1769, he
encountered a thriving population, peaceful and hospitable. After
conscripting native people to build Mission San Diego de Alcalá,
the Spanish called them Diegueños after the mission, but the
people had their own name: Kumeyaay. Traditional Kumeyaay lifeways
are presented in displays detailing food supplies, dress and adornment,
games, and ceremonies. The Kumeyaay arts of pottery and basketry
are highlighted, and the exhibit has been expanded with a new display
of a traditional Kumeyaay house.
Admission: $8
Museum Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily
For more information visit
the Museum of Man’s website.
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August
Ali Akbar College of Music : 40 Year of Service to the San Francisco Bay Area
Concert Dates and Times Listed Below
Ali Akbar College of Music
215 West End Avenue
San Rafael, California
The Ali Akbar College of Music presents a benefit concert series celebrating 40 continuous years of service to the San Francisco Bay Area. The Ali Akbar College of Music offers education in the classical music of North India at the highest professional level.
Saturday, August 18, 2007 - 7:30 pm
Featuring James Pomerantz (sitar), Michael Lewis (tabla), Alam Khan (sarode), and Debopriya Sarkar (tabla).
Saturday, August 25, 2007 - 7:30 pm
Featuring Peter Van Geldar (sitar), Dana Pandey (tabla), and Ken Zuckerman (sarode).
This project has been made possible in part by a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program, in partnership with the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation.
For more information visit Ali Akbar College of Music’s website or call (415) 454-6372.
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2007 Bay Area Tap Festival
Monday, August 13, 2007 – Sunday, August 19, 2007
Various Locations
San Francisco Bay Area, California
The Bay Area Tap Festival, now in its fifth year, celebrates the uniquely American art form of tap dance, and features Festival artists in a week of instructional workshop classes and a free panel discussion hosted by San Francisco Dance Center. Festival programming also includes a Tap Jam, Community Showcase performance, and Scholarship Program. The Festival culminates with the Bay Area Rhythm Exchange – a production which features Festival artists in a concert performance with live musical accompaniment at San Francisco’s historic Herbst Theatre. This year’s Festival artists include Channing Cook-Holmes, John Kloss, Chad Kubo, Deborah Mitchell, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Sam Weber, and more.
This project has been made possible in part by a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program, in partnership with the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation.
For more information, including a complete workshop and performance
schedule, visit
Stepology’s website.
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In The Path of Rumi
Friday, August 17, 2007 -
8:00 pm
Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, California
Celebrating 800 years for the poet Rumi. Featuring vocalist
Shahram Nazeri, composer Hafez Nazeri, and the Rumi Ensemble of Musicians
of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call (213) 227-9291.
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Carnatic Music on the Saxophone
Saturday, August 18, 2007 – 6:00 pm
Ektaa Center
2691 Richter Avenue, Suite 105
Irvine, California
Prasant Radhakrishnan (saxophone) is joined by Poovalur Srinivasan
(mridangam) and Hemmige V. Srivatsan (violin) in a concert of Carnatic
music (South Indian classical music).
Tickets: $12 including dinner, $10 not including dinner
For more information email the
Ektaa Center or call (949) 300-8912.
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13th Annual Arab Cultural Festival
Sunday, August 26, 2007 -
11:00 am – 6:30 pm
County Fair Building
Golden Gate Park
9th Avenue & Lincoln Avenue
San Francisco, California
San Francisco’s Arab Cultural and Community Center presents their 13th Annual Arab Cultural Festival. This day-long event will showcase the arts, entertainment, food, traditions, and most importantly the spirit of the Arab and Arab-American people, and their contributions to the Bay Areas cultural landscape. This year’s theme, Hikayatna (Our Stories), explores the meaning of both individual and cultural narratives in shaping the Arab-American experience.
For more information visit the Arab Cultural Community Center’s website.
September
Xirê! Celebrations: Viver Brasil 10th Anniversary Concert
Friday, September, 7, 2007 – 8:30 pm
Ford Amphiteatre
2580 Cahuenga Bvld. East
Hollywood, California
Viver Brasil’s Luiz Badaró and Brazilian choreographers
including griot Dona Cici present an evening celebrating the African
roots of Brazilian myths and carnival dances featuring guest artists
from Salvador, Bahia.
Tickets: $27, $5 students and children
For more information visit Viver
Brasil’s website.
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16th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture
Saturday, September 8, 2007 – 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday, September 9, 2007 – 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Pt. Fermin Park
607 W. Paseo Del Mar
San Pedro, California
As a community arts program, the 16th Annual Festival of Philippine
Arts and Culture partners with artists, community organizations, businesses,
and individuals to build community by engaging people of diverse backgrounds
through the production and presentation of multidisciplinary artistic
and cultural expressions.
Seen as a common ground for our multi-tribal, multi-generational and
multilingual community, the community-organized Festival provides unique
programming focusing on families, youth and seniors.
Not only a gateway of cultural exploration for Filipino Americans,
the festival is also an opportunity for non-Filipinos to experience
more complex explorations of Filipino culture within the multicultural
landscape of Los Angeles. This in turn allows non-Filipinos to
learn, experience, better understand, and ultimately build respect
for our multi-faceted Filipino culture.
This project has been made possible in part by a grant from ACTA’s
Living Cultures Grants Program, in partnership with the Walter
and Elise Haas Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and
the James Irvine Foundation.
Admission: $5
For more information visit the
Association for the Advancement of Philippine Arts & Culture’s
(FilAm ARTS’) website.
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Berkeley Old Time Music Convention
Photo: Berkeley Old Time Music Convention
September 13-16, 2007
Various Locations
Berkeley, California
The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention is a four day music festival
featuring performances by local and national acts, a rollicking square
dance, open cabaret, and the illustrious stringband contest in venues
throughout Berkeley.
This project has been made possible in part by a grant from ACTA’s
Living Cultures Grants Program, in partnership with the Walter
and Elise Haas Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and
the James Irvine Foundation.
For more information, including a schedule of events, visit
the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention’s website.
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Corazon de Mexico 2007
Photo courtesy of IMBA
Saturday, September 15, 2007 – 8:00 pm
Sunday, September 16, 2007 – 8:00 pm
Benvenuti Performing Arts Center
4600 Blackrock Drive
Sacramento, California
Join Instituto Mazatlán Bellas Artes de Sacramento (IMBA) as
they celebrate Mexico’s independence day. This event will
feature over 25 dances, live musicians, and a full mariachi. In
additiona, IMBA will premier 2 new choreographies, Alma Jarocho and
Gritos, Zapateo y mi Tierra Jalisco.
Tickets: $20
For more information email IMBA or
call (916) 391-7500.
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Tamejavi Cultural Festival: Hands the Forge History
Photo courtesy of Tamejavi
Saturday, September 22, 2007 – 11:00 am to 8:00 pm
Radio Park and Fresno Art Museum
2233 N. First Street
Fresno, California
A daylong event free to the public, a gathering to celebrate and experience
the rich traditions of California’s Central Valley through visual
and performing arts. This year’s festival also includes
platicas, or spaces for dialogues, which will address various current
event topics; a photo exhibit chronicling the journey of Tamejavi;
a film festival presenting Hmong, Latino, and Native American film,
and a cultural kitchen with vast array of cuisine.
The theme of Tamejavi IV, Hands that Forge History, invites you to
recognize the traditions, struggles, and contributions of California
Central Valley’s immigrants.
For more information visit Tamejavi’s
website or call (559) 222-7678.
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2007 San José International Mariachi Festival & Workshops
September 26-30, 2007
Various Location
San Jose, California
Including four days of mariachi workshops, two nights of concerts,
and two days of an outdoor music and community festival.
Workshops taught by Mariachi Cobre and Mariachi Azteca. Special
master class instruction provided by guest artists Tlen Huicani from
Veracruz, Mexico. Folklorico dance workshops taught by maestros
Jose Tena from Lac Cruces, New Mexico, and Maria Luisa Colmenarez,
from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Saturday night’s Gala Mariachi Concert will feature Los Lobos
and Linda Ronstadt with Mariachi Cobre. Sunday’s Latin
Pop Concert will feature Marco Antonio Solis.
A two day outdoor music and community festival will feature three
stages of music and dance, food, drinks, family activities, and related
vendors. Saturday’s festival will showcase other genres
of Latin music and Sunday, traditional Mariachi!
For more information, including a schedule of events, visit
the Mexican Heritage Plaza’s website.
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India Jazz Progressions
Friday, September 28, 2007 – 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 29, 2007 – 8:00 pm
Sunday, September 20, 2007 – 2:00 pm
Cowell Theater
Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, California
Featuring Pandit Chitresh Das, Jason Samuels Smith and their companies,
including principal dancers Charlotte Moraga and Chloe Arnold, respectively. Also
featuring Indian musicians Pandit Ramesh Mishra (sarangi), Jayanta
Banerjee (sitar), and Salar Nader (tabla). Also featuring jazz
musicians David Ewell (bass), Jason Martineau (piano), and Sameer Gupta
(kit drums).
Tickets: $23, $28, $35
For more information visit Chitresh
Das Dance Company’s website or call (415) 333-9000.
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Carolina Lugo’s Brisas de España Flamenco Dance Company
10th Anniversary Concert
Photo courtesy of Carolina Lugo’s Brisas de España
Saturday, September 29, 2007 – 8:00 pm
Cue Productions
1835 Colfax
Concord, California
Carolina Lugo’s Brisas de España Flamenco Dance Company
presents Herencia – Tradición—Evolución
for the company’s 10th Anniversary Concert Season. Featuring
dancer Jesus Herrera de Sevilla, singer Jesus Montoya, and guitarist
Ricardo Garcia from Spain.
This project has been made possible in part by a grant from ACTA’s
Living Cultures Grants Program, in partnership with the Walter
and Elise Haas Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and
the James Irvine Foundation.
For more information visit
Carolina Lugo’s Brisas de España’s website,
email Carolina Lugo’s
Brisas de España, or call (925) 939-7850.
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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