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, will be on exhibit. Ongoing. An opening reception will be held Friday, 6 p.m. (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.)

Absorb Paintings by Mao Yao and sculptures by Josh Kretzmann, which highlight absorbent materials, will be on exhibit starting today. An opening reception will be held at 7 p.m. (Crucible Steel Gallery, 2050 Bryant St., 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.)

Fen-Ma Liuming Performance artist Ma Liuming makes his audience consider the constructs of gender by offering visual stereotypes. April 18, 2 p.m. (Schwab Room, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St., San Francisco. 415-357-4102.)

Field of Study Japanese artists 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.)

Haru Matsuri: The Art of Ikebana The Asian Art Museum presents an exhibition of more than 50 Japanese floral displays by local artists. Through Sunday. (Asian Art Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 415-379-8839.)

New Stories from an old chapter Works by renowned Filipino artists Elmer Borlongan, Santiago Bose, Brenda Fajardo, Karen Flores, Mark Justiani and Noel Soler Cuizon will be on display beginning Saturday. An artists’ reception will be held opening day, 7 p.m. (Pacific Bridge, 95 Linden St. #6, Oakland Calif. 510-451-8840.)

Gladys Wong Charcoal works on paper by the artist are on display through April 30 (Evolving Space, 536 Pacific Ave., San Francisco. 415-989-2992.)

Pacific Crossing Sculptor Yoshitomo Saito’s bronze-cast works of organic forms like tree trunks are on exhibit. Through April 24. (Haines Gallery, 49 Geary St., Fifth Floor, San Francisco. 415-397-8114.)

To Your Health! Art installations by Kaleo Ching and Elise Dirlam-Ching, and paintings by Younhee Paik are one display as part of this exhibit. Through Tuesday. (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 Read Gate Gallery in Beijing, will be on display. Their work focuses on the artists’ vision of cosmopolitan life in a rapidly changing society. Through May 2. (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 artist’s brilliant and colorful still-life watercolors are on display through Wednesday. (Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck, Berkeley. 510-548-9286.)
Dance

Tradewinds VII Choreographers Aileen Kim, Nancy Ng, Ching-Chi Yu and Kimiko Guthrie-Kupers present new works performed by members of the Baranguay Dance Co., Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu and Unbound Spirit. April 16-17, 8 p.m. $12. (SOMARTS Cultural Center, 934 Brannon, San Francisco. 415-441-8831.)

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. Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m. $22 and $32. (San Jose Center for Performing Arts. 408-288-2828 or 1-800-678-5440.)

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. Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m. (San Jose Repertory Theater, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose. 408-291-2255.)

Thomas Schultz The pianist will perform Hyo-shin Na’s Rain Study and Yuji Takahashi’s Turn, Turn, Spinning Wheels, as well as compositions by Franz Schubert and Frederic Rzewski. Friday, 8 p.m. $9, $7 students and seniors. (Old First Concerts, 1751 Sacramento St., San Francisco. 415-474-1608.)

Triangulated Nation Compositions by Forrest Fang and Adlai Alexander will be performed by tenor Aurelio Viscarra, soprano Michelle Troise, pianist Kymry Isainko and members of the Piedmont Children’s Choir. Friday-Saturday; 8 p.m. $16. (George Coates Performance Works, 11 McAllister St., 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. Saturday, 8 p.m. $12 advance, $14 at the door. (Asian Art Museum, Trustees Auditorium, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 877-243-3774.)

Readings
Asian American Senior Women’s Writing Group Amy Doi, Cynthia Joe, Leona Lee, Hazel Yuen, Anna Huie, Helen Fong, Carole Jan Lee, Harumi Serata, Florence Hongo, Sato Hashizume, Kiku Funabiki, Daisy Satoda, Edith Tanaka, Judy Hamaguchi and Jennie Low Wong will read works covering topics including childhood memories, intimacy, aging and family history. Sunday, 4 p.m. (1840 Sutter St., San Francisco. 415-567-5505.)

Bill Lee The author of Chinese Playground: A Memoir will read from his book, a stark recollection of a childhood in San Francisco Chinatown. April 17, 7 p.m. (Eastwind Books, 2066 University Ave., Berkeley. 510-548-2350.)

Theater
Khan Ju Ling Magicians with a Message presents a dream trilogy about a 19th century descendent of Kublai Khan who is lured to California by the Gold Rush. This month, performances will be held Saturday, April 17 and 24; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. $18, $15 seniors, $6 students under 18. (Chinese Culture Center, 750 Kearny St., Third Floor, San Francisco. 415-986-1822.)

Muta The experimental comedy group Tongue in Mood presents a psychedelic journey into the consciousness of Filipino Americans, featuring new sketches and old sketches from past sold-out shows. Today and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. $10, $8 seniors and students. (Bindlestaff Studios, 185 Sixth St., San Francisco. 415-974-1167.)

New Tsunami Fusion Fest Theater of Yugen is presenting two weeks of performances under the artistic director Yuriko Doi. A series of workshops will also be held in conjunction with the festival. For a schedule of events through April 18, call 415-621-0507.

Paper Son Comedian Byron Yee’s autobiographical narrative about his search for Chinese heritage will show Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 3 p.m. $20. (Cliff Osmond’s Actor’s Studio, 340 Mason St., San Francisco. 415-441-3687.)

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 Wednesday, 8 p.m. $19. Opening night is April 17. $35. (Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Castro and Mercy streets, Mountain View.

The Nanjing Race Reggie Cheong-Leen’s cross-cultural drama about a gay Japanese American metals trader in Asia makes its West Coast premiere on Saturday. The production will be performed through May 8. $12 Wednesdays, $16 Thursdays and Sundays, $20 Fridays and Saturdays. (New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. 415-861-8972.)

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.)

Van Gogh and Japanese Print Prints reintepreted by Vincent Van Gogh into paintings, including Hiroshige’s Sudden Shower on the Great Bridge near Atake and Eisan’s Courtesan will be 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.)

Readings
Catherine Liu The author will read from her first novel, Oriental Girls Desire Romance, which describes the seedier side of ‘80s New York. April 15, 7:30 p.m. Reservations required. (Japanese American National Museum, 369 E. First St., Los Angeles. 213-625-0414.)

Common Ground Authors Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (Farewell to Manzanar), Stewart David Ikeda (What the Scarecrow Said), Lawson Fusao Inada (Drawing the Line), Julie Shigekuni (A Bridge Between Us) and Hisaye Yamamoto DeSoto (Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories) will discuss a variety of issues surrounding the topic of writing about Japanese Americans. April 24, 1 p.m. Reservations required. (Japanese American National Museum, 369 E. First St., Los Angeles. 213-625-0414.)

Edward Ichiyama and Don Seki The two authors will sign books and read from Japanese Eyes, American Heart: Personal Reflections of Hawaii’s World War II Soldiers. April 22, 7 p.m. Reservations required. (Japanese American National Museum, 369 E. First St., Los Angeles. 213-625-0414.)

Theater
Hanako The East West Players presents Chungmi Kim’s play about Korean comfort women abducted to Japan during World War II. Through April 25, Thursdays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. $20-$27. (David Henry Hwang Theater, Union Center for the Arts, 120 N. Judge Los Aiso St., Los Angeles.)

The Rice Room: Scenes from a Bar Award-winning writer/actor Noel Alumit performs his one-man show tackling issues of gay Asian men. April 16-17, 8:30 p.m. $15. (Highways, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica. 310-315-1459.)

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 have long been inspired by the Seattle hip-hop scene. (Northwest Asian American Theatre, 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.)

Film
Throne of Blood Akira Kurosawa’s re-imagining of Macbeth stars Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada. April 18, 1:30 p.m. $6. (Stimson Auditorium, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Volunteer Park, Seattle. 206-654-3121.)

Lectures
Annual Chinese Art Colloquium Richard Barnhart from Yale University lectures on Masterpieces of Chinese painting and Stephen Little, curator of Asian art at the Art Institute of Chicago lectures on Chinese ceramics. April 18, 4 p.m. (Stimson Auditorium, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Seattle. 206-654-3100.)

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.)

Bamboo Masterworks The Asia Society presents the first comprehensive exhibition of Japanese bamboo baskets from the Lloyd Cotsen collection. One hundred exquisite baskets will be on display. Through May 30. $2-$4. (Asia Society, 725 Park Ave., New York. 212-517-ASIA.)

China Chic More than 100 garments and accessories tracing the evolution of Chinese dress and its influence on modern Western fashion will be 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.)

Devi: The Great Goddess An exhibition of 120 paintings and sculptures of the Hindu deity are on exhibit. Ongoing. Vidya Dehejia, chief curator of the exhibit, presents an informal talk on the exhibition Tuesday at noon. (Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1050 Independence Ave., Washington, D.C. 2092-357-2700.)

Evolution in Taiwan This exhibit provides an overview of how ceramic arts have developed in Taiwan between 1910 and 1960. Artists included in the exhibit are Tseng Yung-hung, Winnie Yang, Shen Tung-ning and Tseng Ai-chen. Through April 30. (Taipei Gallery, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York City. 212-373-1854.)

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 will 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.)