To update information or submit an event, email ACTA.
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.
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Photo credit: Thor Swift, 1996
Nacimientos at Arte Américas
Through January 8, 2006
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Wrapped In Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity
Through 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Inside Lunar New Year: Auspicious Food and Decoration
Through April 2006
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Pacific Renaissance Plaza
388 9th Street Suite 290
Oakland, CA
The exhibition provides an educational exploration of Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese cultures for the Lunar New Year celebration. The exhibit will display the meaning of symbols and colors, explain various activities people engage in during the Lunar New Year, and share the history behind auspicious foods and decorative family traditions.
Admission: Free
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
For more information visit the Oakland Asian Cultural Center’s website.
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¡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.
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Carnival in Europe and the Americas
February 5, 2006 through April 23, 2006
Fowler Museum of Cultural History
UCLA Campus
Hilgard and Strathmore Avenues
Los Angeles, CA
Photographs by Robert Jerome feature contrasting Carnaval celebrations around the world from the Black Forest to the Canary Islands to Mobile, Alabama and many spots in between.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the Fowler Museum of Cultural History’s website.
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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.
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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.
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January
Hmong International New Year
December 26, 2005 through January 1, 2006
Fresno Fairgounds
Cedar/Kings Canyon Rd.
Fresno, CA
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.
For 29 years, Hmong-Americans have celebrated their annual New Year Celebration in the United States. Of all such events, the Celebration in Fresno remains one of the largest of its kind. Attendance data from the 1998-2003 New Year Celebrations indicate that well over 150,000 people were attracted to the event in Fresno each year. Many of these individuals come from outside of California and outside of the country, including Asia and Europe. The Hmong New Year is particularly important for young adults. Often, due to the daily toils of living, eligible young adults have had little time for fun and courtship. The intermission from work provides them an opportune time for entertainment, socializing and the making of new friends.
During this time, Hmong elders encourage their children to interact in mutual respect through a game of "tossing ball" or pov pob. The young eligible adults are dressed in their most elaborate outfits and are encouraged to befriend others from different clans. For days, these youngsters will toss balls to one another. Frequently, deep friendships develop from the interactions, oftentimes resulting in marriage. This union of clans ensures hope for the future and the survival of Hmong culture. It also fosters a genuine sense of harmony and mutual respect among the people.
Admission: $3
For more information visit the event’s website.
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Mochitsuki: Japanese Mochi Pounding Party
January 3, 2006
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Kagami Kai will present the exciting New Year tradition of mochitsuki, or mochi pounding (glutinous steamed rice is pounded into delectable sweet, soft cakes) with music, dance, and costumes. Members of the audience not only get to have a hand in the festivities, they’ll also be able to sample the freshly made treats after the performance.
Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year; literally, new month) is the most important time of the year, marked with and evocative of good feelings and nostalgia. Once essential to the New Year celebration, the time-consuming practice of mochitsuki is now rare even in Japan, as busy people eat store-bought mochi rather than make their own. The evening before the pounding, glutinous rice is washed and soaked overnight. The next morning the rice is steamed. It is then carried to the usu (large mortar) and is pounded with a kine (wooden mallet) while someone else continues to turn it and keep it wet so it doesn’t stick to the mallet. Once the mass is soft and smooth, it is pulled into various sizes and shapes (often round). It can be eaten fresh, with different sauces, or with seaweed. After the pounding, an offering of the mochi is made to the kani (deity). This offering, called kagami-mochi, or okasane, is comprised of two mochi cakes usually placed on a sheet of pure white paper in the center of a wooden tray. Display and offering of kagami-mochi at New Year signifies a hope for a happy and bright year ahead.
San Francisco’s Kagami Kai was founded nearly twenty years ago when Tetsu Takatani first came to the United States. Longing for the taste of fresh mochi, he decided to make his own equipment in hopes of preserving the mochitsuki custom and sharing it with the Bay Area community and friends. Kagami Kai performs demonstrations at local nursing homes, schools, and Japanese festivals throughout the year.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the Asian Art Museum’s website.
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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.
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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.
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Nations of San Diego International Dance Festival
Moon Light Dance Company (China).
Photo Credit: Elazar Harel
January 12 – 15, 2006
Birch North Park Theater
2891 University Ave.
San Diego, CA
Eight dance troupes will perform at Southern California’s largest ethnic dance festival. Featured performers include PASACAT Asian Performing Arts Company, Angahara Dance Ensemble, Francis Awe/Nigerian Talking Drum Ensemble, Planet Brazil, Pualani Dancers, Ballet Folklorico Fiesta de Colores, Moon Light Dance Group, and Michelle Malone Irish Dance Academy.
Admission: $12 – 25
For more information visit the San Diego Dance Alliance’s website.
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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.
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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.
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In the Name of Love: Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute
January 15, 2006 -7:30 p.m.
Scottish Rite Temple
1547 Lakeside Drive
Oakland, CA
The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir is a multiracial interfaith choir that performs traditional black church music. They will pay homage through music to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Other featured performers include Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, the Oakland Children’s Community Choir, and Madeline Eastman and The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol.
Admission: $22
For more information visit the event’s website.
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Oakland Tet Festival
January 22, 2006
Clinton Square Park
1230 6th Ave.
Oakland, CA
The Oakland Vietnamese Tet Festival will feature live entertainment, arts and craft vendors, and food.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the event’s website.
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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.
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Soul of Korean Dance
January 26, 2006 – 7:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
This performance features Aeju Lee, who was recognized as an intangible human treasure for the art of Buddhist Dance by UNESCO in 1996. She has worked to develop and preserve Korean dance for the last fifty years.
Admission: Free with museum admission of $10
For more information visit the Asian Art Museum’s website.
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Tet Lunar New Year Festival in Garden Grove
January 27 – 29, 2006
Garden Grove Park
9301 Westminster Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA
The year 2006 marks the 24th Lunar New Year celebration for the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California (UVSA). The Tết Festival serves as a means to fund community programs and projects. Because this event attracts more than 200,000 patrons yearly, it serves as the largest cultural event in the Little Saigon community. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Embracing Our Culture, Securing Our Future - Bảo Toàn Văn Hóa, Xây Dựng Tương Lai.” The Festival features, live performances, cultural exhibitions, vendors, a Miss Vietnam of Southern California pageant, as well as singing and flower arranging contests.
For more information visit the event’s website.
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Iu Mien New Year Celebration in Sacramento
January 28, 2006
Eastern Star Temple
2719 K Street
Sacramento, CA
The event will feature live performances, vendors, and food and drinks.
For more information e-mail clubmien@yahoo.com.
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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.
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2006 Lunar New Year Celebration at Oakland Asian Cultural Center
January 28, 2006
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Pacific Renaissance Plaza
388 9th Street Suite 290
Oakland, CA
To help usher in the year 2006 as the Year of the Dog, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center is planning an afternoon long festival. The theme of the festival is A Celebration of Cultures, with elements of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean cultures featured in the daylong celebration. Featured performers include Red Panda Acrobats, Chinese Folk Dance Association, Ben’s Shaolin Kung Fu, and Unity Nguyen (Music of Vietnam). Other activities include Lunar New Year auspicious foods cooking demonstrations and food tasting.
For more information visit the Oakland Asian Cultural Center’s website.
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Lunar New Year Celebration at the Oakland Museum
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.
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9th Annual Vietnamese Spring Festival & Parade in San Jose
January 29, 2006
San Jose, CA
Parade
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
On Market St. from St. John St. to San Carlos St.
Festival
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Parkside Hall
180 Park Street
This Vietnamese New Year, or Tết, celebration began in a church parking lot and has grown into a major event. Last year 60,000 people attended and even more are expected this year. The event features Vietnamese arts and crafts, music and dance performances, martial arts demonstrations, a talent show, and authentic Vietnamese cuisine.
For more information visit the event’s website.
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Chinese New Year Wushu Martial Arts Performance
January 29, 2006 – 1:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Siblings Chrystina, Michael, and Robert Yu –collectively known as Jiayo (“more power” or “more strength” in Mandarin) – will perform a dynamic demonstration of wushu in celebration of the Chinese New Year, which falls on this day. Wushu is a form of Chinese kung fu embodying self defense, determination, and perseverance. It is a time-honored art form honoring the achievement of confidence, health, vitality, strength, power, and inner peace. The Yu children carry on the traditions of elaborately choreographed wushu with enthusiasm and energy. With advanced skills, they wield weaponry such as chain whips, swords, staffs, spears, and graceful hand forms.
For more information visit the Asian Art Museum’s website.
February
Jamie Laval with Ashley Broder
February 4, 2006 – 8:00 p.m.
California Traditional Music Society’s Center for Folk Music
16953 Ventura Blvd.
Encino, CA
Jamie Laval, winner of the 2002 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championship, will perform with Ashley Broder, winner of the Western Open Master Picker Championship.
Admission: $20
For more information visit the California Traditional Music Society’s website.
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African Influences on South American Dance
February 4, 2006 – 1:00 p.m.
California Academy of Sciences
Academy Classroom
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
In honor of African-American Heritage Month, Afro-Peruvian drummer Lalo Izquierdo, a former master in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program, has organized a performance of Peruvian and Bolivian dances influenced by African music. The Spanish conquistadores brought African slaves to the Americas in the 1600s to work in the coastal plantations of Peru and in the silver and gold mines of the Andean altiplano. Over time, African and indigenous rhythms merged to form new hybrid styles of music and dance.
Lalo has choreographed a selection of dances that pay tribute to his African heritage. The cueca was originally part of an Angolan marriage ritual, and today is the national dance of Bolivia. The festive alcatraz was once danced around a bonfire in the Peruvian cornfields and is characterized by sensuous movements as the dancers compete for partners. The festejo was popular with the mestizo population working in the plantations of Peru. The Bolivian caporal (meaning farm manager) is a quick, agile dance that represents the gait of the mulatto overseer as he patrolled the citrus plantations in the subtropical Yungas region of Bolivia; the sound of the chains worn by the slaves is incorporated into the dance.
This program was funded by a generous grant from the Creative Work Fund.
For more information visit the California Academy of Sciences’ website.
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Ana Moura
February 4, 2006 – 8:00 p.m.
February 5, 2006 – 3:00 p.m.
Getty Center
Harold M. Williams Auditorium
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA
Portuguese vocalist Ana Moura will perform fado music, a Portuguese folk music style that is characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics about lost love, separation, and longing.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the Getty Center’s website.
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107th Annual Golden Dragon Parade and Chinese New Year Festival in Los Angeles
February 4-5, 2006
Broadway and Hill Streets
Los Angeles, CA
The 107th Annual Golden Dragon Parade, one of the oldest parades in the country, will take place on Saturday, February 4 from 2pm- 4pm along Broadway and Hill Streets. Over 50 floats, bands, and parade elements will participate, including the newly crowned Miss L.A. Chinatown Queen and Court.
The Chinese New Year Festival will take place along New High and Spring streets in Chinatown on Saturday and Sunday, February 4 and 5. Festival hours are 10am to 9pm on Saturday, and 10am to 6pm on Sunday. Highlights include lion dancers, a “Masters of Mahjong” tournament, an import tuner car show, children’s activities, live music, cooking demonstrations, and 500-person Tai Chi exhibition at the 10am opening ceremony on February 4. In keeping with “The Year of the Dog,” several canine events are planned for Sunday February 5.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the event’s website.
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Lunar New Year Celebration in San Francisco
February 7, 2006
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
This Lunar New Year celebration features hands-on art projects, artist demonstrations, tours, storytelling, and special performances by the Chinese American International School, Vietnamese musicians Unity Nguyen, Tibetan dance and opera ensemble Chaksampa, and the theatrical storytellers Eth-Noh-Tec.
The celebration incorporates the New Year’s traditions of various Asian countries, from Japanese Oshogatsu, Chinese Xing Nian, Thai Songkran, and Vietnamese Têt, to Korean Solnal, Tibetan Losar, Indian Divali, and Cambodian Chaul Chhnaim
Admission: Free
For more information visit the Asian Art Museum’s website.
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Spirit Keepers: Keeping Chinuk Wawa Language Alive
February 8, 2006
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
Spa Hotel
Cahuilla Room
Palm Springs, CA
Tony Johnson (Chinook) is the Cultural Education Coordinator and acting Cultural Resources Division Manager for the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde in northwest Oregon. Tony's presentation will address the history of the Chinuk Wawa language and its revitalization in Grande Ronde. He will focus on current successes as well as the difficulties involved with this task. Tony will share history, language, philosophy, and perhaps a song or traditional story from his homeland in the Pacific Northwest.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum’s website.
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Chinese Music and Dance by Peony Performing Arts
February 9, 2006 – 7:00 p.m.
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Courtesy of World Arts West
The Hou sisters—Shuang Sabrina and Xiaomu—perform in the tradition of Kunqu Opera. Fourth generation descendants of a performing arts family from Beijing, the sisters carry forth the artistry of their deep-rooted family legacy.
Admission: $10
For more information visit the Asian Art Museum’s website.
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Russian Festival 2006
February 10 – 12, 2006
Russian Center of San Francisco
2460 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA
The 18th 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.
Admission: $10
For more information visit the Russian Center’s website.
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Preserving the Spirit: Arrow Making
February 11, 2006
10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
February 12, 2006
11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
Village Green Heritage Center
219 South Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA
Learn the essentials of traditional arrow making with Amil Pedro (Cahuilla/Quechan). Amil's instruction will include a basic lesson on flint knapping, arrow shaft straightening, and fletching techniques. Advanced participants will also have the chance to produce atlatl spears. This will be a 2-day workshop with open enrollment for either day. Materials for arrow construction will be provided.
Admission: $20 for one day; $35 for two days
For more information visit the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum’s website.
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2006 Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco
February 11, 2006
5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Market & Second to Kearny & Jackson
The Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade is the largest event of its kind outside of Asia. Since 1958, the parade has been under the direction of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. A San Francisco tradition since just after the Gold Rush, the parade is viewed by hundreds of thousands of people that come to watch it on the street or tune in to watch it on television. Some of the parade highlights are the elaborate decorated floats, school marching bands, stilt walkers, lion
dancers, Chinese acrobatics, the newly crowned Miss Chinatown U.S.A. and the 201 feet Golden Dragon (“Gum Lung”). This year’s parade ushers in the year of the Dog, lunar year 4704. The Dog is associated with benevolence and good fortune.
Admission: Free
For more information visit the event’s website.
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Perú Negro
February 17, 2006 – 8:00 p.m.
February 19, 2006 – 7:00 p.m.
Zellerbach Hall
UC Berkeley Campus
Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave.
Berkeley, CA
Perú Negro, an ensemble founded in 1969 to preserve and celebrate Peru's black heritage, will perform Afro-Peruvian music. Playing on a wide variety of traditional instruments, these artists perform many different types of songs including the landó, festejo, and alcatráz.
Admission: $22 – $40
For more information visit the Cal Performances’ website.
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7th Annual San Francisco Tamburitza Festival
February 18 - 19, 2006
The Slavonic Cultural Center
60 Onondaga Ave.
San Francisco, CA
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. This year’s featured performers include Sinovi of Chicago, Sidro, and the Slavonian Traveling Band.
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.
Admission: $15
For more information visit the Slavonic Cultural Center’s website.
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Sweet Honey in the Rock
February 24, 2006 – 8:00 p.m.
Zellerbach Hall
UC Berkeley Campus
Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave.
Berkeley, CA
Founded in 1973, Sweet Honey in the Rock is an a cappella ensemble that performs a range of African-American musical traditions, capturing the diverse sounds of blues, spirituals, traditional gospel hymns, rap, reggae, African chants, hip hop, ancient lullabies, and jazz improvisation.
Admission: $24 – 46
For more information visit the Cal Performances’ website.
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Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble
February 24, 2006 – Fresno
February 25, 2006 – Berkeley
February 26, 2006 – Felton
The Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble will perform a concert program of traditional Armenian songs and dances.
February 24, 2006 – 7:00 p.m.
California State University Fresno
Whitfield Hall
2485 East San Ramon
Fresno, CA
February 25, 2006 – 7:30 p.m.
Freight & Salvage Concert Hall
1111 Addison Ave.
Berkeley, CA
February 26, 2006 – 7:00 p.m.
Don Quixote’s Music Hall
6275 Highway #9
Felton, CA
For more information visit the Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble’s website.
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Hinamatsuri Origami Dolls Craft Class
February 25 – 26, 2006
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA
Ryosen Shibata will teach participants how to make dolls from folded paper in preparation for the celebration of Hinamatsuri, or Girl’s Day, a festival held on March 3, when families display traditional dolls and pray for the health and happiness of their young daughters.
Admission: $19
For more information visit the Japanese American National Museum’s website.
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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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