Arts

30-year passage The works of Japanese artist Iku K. Nagai, which synthesize the painter’s experiences with both traditional Eastern and Western abstract art, are on exhibit. Ongoing. (Triton Museum of Art, 1505 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara. 408-247-3754.)

A Winding RIver Eighty paintings, lacquers, prints and mixed media works by 50 Vietnamese artists are on display through April 25. (St. Mary’s College, Hearst Art Gallery, Moraga. 925-631-4379.)

Photographs of San Francisco’s Old Chinatown Arnold Genthe’s series of historic photographs of San Francisco Chinatown are on display. Ongoing. (M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.)

Face to Face An exhibition of portraits by child artists around the world are on display through May 15. 50 cents-$1. (International Children’s Art Museum, World Trade Center, First Floor, San Francisco. 415-772-9977.)

Field of Study Japanese artist Toshi Onuki’s new installation, a grouping of school chairs attached to immensely exaggerated desktops, is on display through April 17. (Southern Exposure, 401 Alabama St., San Francisco. 415-863-2141.)

Gladys Wong The artist’s charcoal works on paper are on display. (Evolving Space, 536 Pacific Ave., San Francisco. 415-989-2992.)

Northern Exposure: New Art From Japan Artworks by Mistushiro Egawa, Yoshie Inoue, Yoshikazu Kadono, Hiroshi Kakizaki, Ari Nakamura, Haruyo Nakanishi, Kenji Ohtaki, Fujio Sado, Kan Shimada, Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuyuki Uno and Masami Yoshioka are on display. Ongoing. (San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, 451 S. First St., San Jose, 408-283-8155; and Santa Clara University, Art Department Gallery, 408-554-4594.)

Ntuitivexploration An art installation by Peter Macon and eight high school students investigates the creative process in its freedom and intuition through painting, poetry, sculpture, photographs and video. Through March 30. (509 Cultural Center, 509 Ellis St., San Francisco. 415-255-5971.)

To Your Health! Art installations by Kaleo Ching and Elise Dirlam-Ching, and paintings by Younhee Paik are on display as part of this exhibit. Through April 13. (Euphrat Museum of Art, De Anza College, Cupertino. 408-864-8836.)

Urban Yearnings Twenty-four paintings by Chinese artists Liu Qinghe, Su Xiping and Zhang Yajie, which are on loan from the Red Gate Gallery in Beijing, are on display through May 2. Their work focuses on the artists’ vision of cosmopolitan life in a rapidly changing society (Chinese Culture Center, 750 Kearny St., Third Floor, San Francisco. 415-986-1822.)

Views from the 1940s Woodblock and linoleum block prints by the late Henry Sugimoto are on exhibit through April 26. (The Ren Brown Collection, 1781 Highway One, Bodega Bay. 707-875-2922.)

Visual Artists Critique Group Participants receive feedback on their works through this diverse group, which meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Monday of every month. Call 415-821-7282 for more information.

Wendy Yoshimura The brilliant and colorful still-life watercolors of Wendy Yoshimura are on view through April 14. (Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck, Berkeley. 510-548-9286.)

Dance

Indonesian Dance and charity night Nonprofit IndoBay present a benefit performance featuring renowned music and dance groups Gamelan Sekar Jaya, the Wentens, the Indonesian American Friendship Association and Venicy. April 3. $15-$25. (Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco. 415-353-5313.)

Events

Lion Dance Conference The Chinese Performing Arts Foundation presents workshops, demonstrations and lectures on Chinese lion dancing. Saturday-Sunday, 8:30 a.m. -6:30 p.m. (Chinese Culture Center, 750 Kearny St., San Francisco. Call 415-986-1822 to register.)

Music

Jon Nakamatsu The Van Cliburn Gold Medal winner makes his debut with the San Jose Symphony with performances of Beethoven’s Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 73; Ravel’s suite from Mother Goose; and Saint-Saens’ Symphony No. 2 in A Minor, Opus 55. April 9-10, 8 p.m. $22 and $32. (San Jose Center for Performing Arts. 408-288-2828 or 1-800-678-5440.)

Kulingtang Kulingtang master Danongan Kalanduyan and the Palabuniyan Kulingtang Ensemble will give a free performance and demonstration in traditional gongs, drums and dancing. April 3, noon. (Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 Ninth St., Suite 290. 510-208-6080.)

Miya Masaoka The Luggage Store presents a performance by this San Francisco-based koto virtuoso. April 1, 8 p.m. $6-$10. (Luggage Store, 1007 Market St., San Francisco. 415-255-5971.)

Other Minds V Toy pianist Margaret Leng Tan and other avant garde musicians perform new and reinterpreted compositions. Today-Saturday, 8 p.m. $18, $45 for all three concerts. (Fort Mason Center, Cowell Theater, San Francisco. 415-441-3687.)

Rhythm Spirit ‘99 San Jose Taiko presents its annual spring concert, which features premieres of Michelle Fujii, Matt Ogawa and Patricia Wong’s Whatever and Adam Weiner and Eijiro Ikegami’s Shinka. April 9-10, 8 p.m.; and April 11, 2 p.m. (San Jose Repertory Theater, 101 Apse de San Antonio, San Jose. 408-291-2255.)

Treasures, New and Old Jing Jing Lou’s The Slough, Judith Lang Zaimont’s Elegy for String Orchestra, Augusta Read Thomas’ Vigil for Cello and Orchestra and Emilie Mayer’s reconstructed Faust Overture will be performed by the Women’s Philharmonic under conductor Apo Hsu. April 3, 8 p.m. $20-$35. (Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. 415-392-4400.)

Two Flowers On a Stem Pianist Jon Jang will premiere The Embodiment of Beauty, a work for piano and erhu (Chinese fiddle), as well as pieces from his latest recording, Self Portrait. April 10, 8 p.m. $12 advance, $14 at the door. (Asian Art Museum, Trustees Auditorium, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 877-243-3774.)

Theater

Dust in a gray room Shinishi Koga’s Butoh piece explores the interdependence of seemingly oppositional emotional states. Monday, 8 p.m. $10-$12. (Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa St., San Francisco. 415-621-7978.)

Paper Son Comedian Byron Yee’s autobiographical narrative about his search for Chinese heritage has been extended through April 11. Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; and Sundays, 3 p.m. $20. (Cliff Osmond’s Actor’s Studio, 340 Mason St., San Francisco. 415-441-3687.)

The Field Project Brechin Flounoy presents a Butoh performance featuring Sarah Shelton Mann, Keith Hennessy and June Watanabe. Tuesday, 8 p.m. $10-$12. (Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa St., San Francisco. 415-621-7978.)

The Joy Luck Club TheatreWorks wraps up its 1998-’99 season with the West Coast premiere of Susan Kim’s adaptation of Amy Tan’s novel. The production includes Lisa Lu, who appeared in the film version of the book. Previews begin April 14, 8 p.m. $19. Opening night is April 17. $35. (Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Castro and Mercy streets, Mountain View.

Arts

Estelle Akamine The works by the Hawaiian textile sculptor will be on display for her exhibit, Ride the Red Rain. Through April 25. (Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. 626-449-2742.)

From Hearth to Heaven: Chinatown Living Over 2,000 objects, including photo albums, tea cups, biscuit tins and home furnishings, are on exhibit telling stories of everyday lives of Chinatown’s first settlers. Through Wednesday. (El Pueblo Gallery, E-13 Olvera St., Los Angeles. 213-626-5240.)

In Search of Gold Mountain An exhibit about the photographic history of Chinese Americans in San Diego is on view. Ongoing. (San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, 404 Third Ave., San Diego. 619-338-9888.)

Van Gogh and Japanese Print Prints reinterpreted by Van Gogh into paintings, including Hiroshige’s Sudden Shower on the Great Bridge near Atake and Eisan’s Courtesan, are on display. Prints by Hiroshige, Eisan and Kunisada that Van Gogh reproduced in the background of two portraits of Pere Tanguy are also on display, as well as other Japanese prints known to be in Van Gogh’s personal collection. Ongoing. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 213-857-6000.)

Events

Media Achievement Awards Banquet The Media Action Network for Asian Americans will hold its annual awards banquet, honoring Jeff Yang, publisher of A. Magazine; Pam Coats, producer for Mulan; Eric Michael Zee, of Exit the Dragon; and Carlton Cuse and Andre Morgan and Stanley Tong, executive producers of Martial Law. Sunday, 6:30 p.m. (Gourmet Carousel Restaurant, 911 N. Broadway, Los Angeles. 213-486-4433.)

Arts

Chinese Shadow Puppets A collection of Chinese shadow puppets collected in Beijing during the 1930s are on display. The collection includes 360 puppets dating from the 19th century. Ongoing. (Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E. Prospect, Volunteer Park, Capitol Hill, Seattle. 206-654-3100.)

Flights of Fancy: Natural and Supernatural Imagery in Japanese Art Longtime favorite screens, scrolls and lacquers from the museum’s collection are assembled for a holiday feast of fantasy in Japanese art. Ongoing. (Seattle Asian Art Museum, 14th Ave. E., Volunteer Park, Seattle. 216-654-3100.)

Korean Folk Painting Folk art screens and portraits from private collections, featuring colorful imagery and bright colors and highlighting classical themes, are on display in the Korean art gallery. Ongoing. (Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E. Prospect St., Volunteer Park, Seattle. 206-654-3100.)

Nhon Nguyen Paintings by the artist done after his stay in Bali will be on exhibit. Nguyen’s oil and acrylic paintings are inspired by the Seattle hip-hop scene. Opening reception will be held April 1, 5 p.m. (Northwest Asian American Theater, 409 Seventh Ave. South. 206-340-1445.)

Vietnamese Ceramics The first U.S. exhibit to explore this tradition—which incorporates aspects from diverse cultures such as Cambodia and India—features more than 50 pieces dating from the second through the 16th centuries. Ongoing. (Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E. Prospect, Volunteer Park, Seattle. 206-654-3165.)

Web of Confession: paintings by Masami Teraoka The University of Oregon Museum of Art presents an exhibition of 21 paintings that survey Teraoka’s work from 1992 to present. (Museum of Art, 1223 University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore. 541-346-3027.)

Woven Legacies Art and social history merge in this exhibit, which aims to illustrate the transition of traditional Asian clothing to Asian American clothing. It traces trends in Asian clothing from the upper classes to certain styles popular in Seattle. Ongoing. (Wing Luke Asian Museum, 407 Seventh Ave. S., Seattle. 206-624-5124.)

Arts

A good place to land one’s feet An exhibit documenting Brooklyn’s new Chinese American community, based on oral histories and photographs, is on display. Ongoing. (Museum of Chinese in the Americas, 70 Mulberry St., New York City. 212-619-4785.)

China Chic More than 100 garments and accessories tracing the evolution of Chinese dress and its influence on modern Western fashion are on display. Through April 24. (Fashion Institute of Technology Museum, Seventh Avenue and 27th Street, 212-217-7642.)

Chinese Celadon Ceramics Forty-four glazed stoneware vessels made in China between the Western Han dynasty and the Qing dynasty are on display. Ongoing. (Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art, Jefferson Drive at 12th St. S.W., Washington, D.C. 202-357-2700.)

Family Portraits Images of New York Chinatown’s diverse families are on display. Ongoing. (Museum of the Chinese in the Americas, 70 Mulberry St., Second Floor, New York. 212-619-4785.)

literati life in the 20th century Calligraphy works by the late Chinese scholar and artist Wang Fangyu as well as works from Fangyu’s personal collection by Bada Shanren, Qi Baishi and Zhang Daquin are on exhibit. Ongoing. (China Institute, 125 E. 65th St., New York. 212-744-8181.)

Where Is Home? Chinese in the Americas Artifacts and personal testimony documenting the Chinese diaspora—as it relates to women, faith, youth and home—are on display. Ongoing. (Museum of the Chinese in the Americas, 70 Mulberry St., Second Floor, New York. 212-619-4785.)

Music

Toshiko Akiyoshi The Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band, featuring saxophonist Lew Tabackin performs every Monday, with sets at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. $15 cover. (Birdland, 315 W. 44th St., 212-581-3080.)

Community Calendar
Announcements

APA Independent Feature Workshop seeks entries Fifty Asian American filmmakers and producers will be selected to meet with film distributors, producers and industry professionals to bring new projects toward realization. This year’s workshop, to be held May 15-16, will focus on strategies for pitching ideas. Eligible applicants must have a current project in development, post-production or completion that needs financing or acquisition. One representative from each project may attend. To apply, send a cover letter, a one-page single-spaced synopsis, a one-page single-spaced biography of key personnel and a labeled floppy disk containing the file of the synopsis and biographies (preferably Macintosh Microsoft Word). Material should be sent to AAIFW, c/o Visual Communications, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Basement Level, Los Angeles, Calif. 90012. There is no entry fee, but selected participants will need to pay $100 for workshop costs. Deadline for applications in April 12. For more information, call 213-680-4462 Ext. 68.

Asian American Journalists Assoc. Scholarships The organization is accepting applications for the 1999 AAJA National Scholarship Program to honor outstanding Asian Pacific American students entering journalism. Application must be received by April 1. To receive an application, send a self-addressed, 55-cent stamped business letter envelope to AAJA Scholarship Program, 1765 Sutter St. San Francisco, Calif. 94115.

Literary Jam contest The Japantown Art and Media Writers’ Workshop is sponsoring their 19th annual literary contest for high school and junior high school students. One or more poems and/or short stories that deal with some aspect of Asian American life may be submitted to compete for $100, $75 and $50 prizes in each of the poetry and short story categories. To enter, include name, address, grade level and name of school. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for manuscripts to be returned. Send entries to JAM Writers’ Workshop, 1840 Sutter St., Suite 207, San Francisco, Calif. 94115. Deadline in April 30. For more information, call 415-922-8700.

Mike Masaoka Fellowship Fund seeking candidates Applicants are being sought for the Mike M. Masaoka Congressional Fellowship for the 1999-2000 term. Candidates must be American citizens who are in at least their third year of college. The fellowship includes a $7,500 stipend. Deadline for applications is May 1 for both the fall and spring terms. Interested candidates should contact the national JACL at 415-921-5225 or e-mail JACL@JACL.org.

Asian American Arts Grants The Asian American Arts Foundation will be awarding its annual grants for Bay Area artists and arts organizations. Grant applications can be obtained by contacting AAAF at 415-905-9100 or on-line at www.aaafoundation.com. Applications must be postmarked by May 1. Grant recipients will be announced in July. The AAAF is offering these grants:

• Tai Seng Film Video Marketing/AAAF Film Arts Grant: $2,500 toward an Asian American film project.
• Kaisik Wong/Academy of Art College/AAAF Grant: One year education at the Academy of Art College (current academy students are not eligible).
• Sandra Sakata Memorial Grant: $1,000 to a professional artist with 10 or more years in the field.
• AT&T/AAAF Theater Grant: $1,000 to assist an actor, playwright or production.
• T. Delaney Inc./Children’s Arts Grant: $1,000 to assist an arts program benefiting children.
• Supernews/AAAF Community Arts Grant: $2,000 to a community arts organization providing arts education.
• Invisibl Skratch Piklz/AAAF Music Grant: $1,000 to an individual or group pursuing a career in the music industry.
• AAAF Founder’s Grant: $1,000 to an organization or individual best exemplifying the goals and ideas of the foundation.
• Michael Futagaki Memorial Scholarship: $500 cash grant and a three-month internship with Classified Records to an individual pursuing career in the music and recording industry.

Announcements

Multicultural Media Academy San Francisco State University’s Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism is accepting applications for its free residential workshops for minority high school students or those who are economically disadvantaged. The program, to be held June 20-July2, will accept 13 reporters, two photographers and one design person. Applications must be postmarked by April 16. To obtain an application or for more information, call 415-338-3054.

Volunteering

Rape Trauma Services The group’s Asian and Pacific Islander Program is looking for compassionate, bilingual/bicultural women and men to become counselors for its hotline. No experience is necessary. The next training session begins in mid-April. For more information, call Thea Lee Woon at 650-652-0598, Voice Mail 47.

Announcements

HIV/AIDS Oral Testing The Asian Youth Center provides free HIV/AIDS oral testing and counseling every other Thursday from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at 100 W. Clary Ave. in San Gabriel. For information, call 626-309-0622.

Workshops

Citizenship classes Chinatown Service Center offers citizenship classes Monday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The center is located at 767 N. Hill St., Suite 400 in Los Angeles. Call 213-253-0870 to register.