Alienation and Assimilation Organized by The Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago, this is the world’s first large-scale exhibition of works by photographers and multimedia artists from Korea. The exhibit runs through April 20. (Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 415-379-8800.)

Bamboo Eloquence An exhibition of bamboo vessels and objects by exemplary artists from Japan will be presented through March 18. (Gump’s Craft Gallery, 135 Post St., San Francisco. 415-982-1616.)

Ho Chi Minh American artist C. David Thomas presents an installation of 40 Ho Chi Minh portraits from March 18 to Aprill 22, Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Pacific Bridge Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, 95 Linden St. #6, Oakland. 510-451-8840.)

Jade This exhibition explores the technical aspects of jade production and the Chinese love for one of the most treasured and admired materials in East Asian culture.On view through March 19. (Asian Art Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 415-379-8801.)

Latinesque Artists Diogenes Ballster, Will Combs, Flora Goldberg and Yeung Ha will present works that focus on Latin themes and palletes through March 26 on Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. (Washington Square Gallery. 1821 Powell St., San Francisco.)

Pacific Rim II: The Far East Contemporary painitings from China and Japan highlight this exhibition, which runs from March 21 through April 15. Featured artists include Fumiko Amano, Jenny Chen, Julia Nee Chu and H. Alan Cheung. (Terrain Gallery, 165 Jessie St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco. 415-543-0656.)

The Poetry of Stone Gallery Japonesque presents a special exhibition of stone sculpture by Izumi Masatoshi through April 22. (Gallery Japoneque, 824 Montgomery St., San Francisco. 415-391-8860.)

Dance
Common Ground Choreograhpers Deborah Vaughan and Lily cai will present multicultural dance with Asian and African influences, on March 25 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. (Holy Names College. 3900 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. 415-346-0199.)

Danny Nguyen Dance Company Dancer and choreographer Nguyen will present passages of his work Endless Passage on March 24. (Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St., Oakland. 510-208-6080.)

Ryukyu Elegance and Energy of the Dance Led by Tomoko Makishi, dance group Chikaho Kai will perform classical Okinwan works on March 25 at 5 p.m. Admission is $22-25. (Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. For more information, call 650-364-7653.)

Events
An Evocation of Blossoms in Japanese Tea Ceremony Join Christy Bartlett and Scott McDougall of the Urasenke Foundation San Francisco, for a chanoyu gathering celebrating spring on April 5 at 3 p.m. This narrated gahtering will feature a special portable tea set. Matcha — whisked powdered green tea — and traditional sweets will be served. (Asian Art Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 415-379-8800.)

Cambodian and Laotian New Year Celebration The Cambodian and Lao people share many of the same customs and traditions in their celebration of New Year. Chaul Chhnam, Cambodian New Year, and Boon Pee Mai, Laotian New Year, will be celebrated on April 1 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Asian Art Musem with a dance performance by Charya Burt and Nikki Phongvong. (Asian Art Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 415-379-8800.)

Cherry Blossom Festival The annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival will take place over the weekends of April 8-9 and April 15-16. A taiko drum performance and martial arts and tea ceremony exhibitions will highlight the event. (Japantown, Webster and Post Streets, San Francisco. 415-563-2313.)

Dinosaurs 2000 Lawrence Hall of Science presents this exhibition featuring 16 lifelike robotic dinosaurs through June 4 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $2-6, free for children under 3. (Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. 510-642-5132.)

Ikebana Salutes 2000 The 23rd biennial Ikebana Flower Show will feature more than 100 works of his Japanese floral art on March 18 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5. (San Francisco Fair Building, 9th Ave. and Lincoln Way, San Francisco. For information call, 415-331-3205.)

Mien Cultural Arts Festival On March 25, the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts will sponsor this festival, which includes performances by Mien Legends, a resident performing ensemble that combines music, dance, ceremonial divination and storytelling. The event is free. (Veterans Memorial Hall, 968 23rd St., Richmond. 510-234-5624.)

Film
Film Festival The 18th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival will be held from March 9-16. For information, call the festival hotline at 415-255-4299, or visit the Web site at www.naatanet.org/festival.

Shabondama Elegy This film by provocative and controversial filmmaker Ian Kerkhof is a vibrant love story about two outcasts in Japan. It stars Thom Hoffman and Japanese porn actress Mai Honisho and features an original soundtrack by Yoshihide Otomo. March 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $6. (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., San Francisco. 415-978-ARTS or visit www.yerbabuenaarts.org on the Web.)

Music
Other Minds Guest artistic director Carl Stone will present composers and muscians from five continents in this festival, which runs through March 18 in San Francisco. (For venue information and times, call 415-934-8134.)

Pacific Mozart Ensemble Under the direction of Richard Grant, extraordinary a cappella works written for double chorus will be performed by the Pacific Mozart Ensemble on March 18 at 7:30 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1668 Bush St., San Francisco; and March 19 at 5 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. Tickets are $19. For tickets, call 415-705-0848.

Readings/Lectures
Arts of Japan This lecture series covers the development of Japanese art from the Heian period to the 20th century. Friday mornings, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., through April 28. (Society for Asian Art, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. 415-379-8805.)

Daughters of China In celebration of Women’s History Month on March 25, Meihong Xu, author of Daughter of China will discuss growing up in China, coming to the United States and the impact her life has had on her work. The discussion begins at 1 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. Following that will be a book signing from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. (San Francisco Main Library, Koret Auditorium, Larkin and Grove Streets, San Francisco. 415-557-4277.)

Helen Zia’s Asian American Dreams Award-winning San Francisco journalist Helen Zia witnesses the complex history of the rise of Asian Americans as a politically and socially influential racial group in her compelling new book. She will read from Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People on March 22 at 7:30 p.m. (A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books, 601 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. 415-441-6670.)

Japanese Bamboo Baskets: Masterworks of Form & Texture Lloyd Cotsen will share his insights March 1 at 6:30 p.m. on the pieces he has collected for the Bamboo Masterworks exhibit, on view at the museum March 1-May 7. Admission is free. (Society for Asian Art, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. 415-379-8805.)

Joi Barrios A special program honoring acclaimed Filipina writer Barrios, who has just released Minatamis and Bailaya will be held on March 18 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event is free. (Arkipelago, 953 Mission St., San Francisco. 415-487-5482 or 415-371-8150.)

New Works, New Voices Intersection for the Arts will present a benefit reading with playwrights Octavio Solis and Wendy Weiner on March 28 at 8 p.m. (Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia St., San Francisco. 415-626-2787.)

The Colors of Poetry Poet Makoto Ooka will appear with U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass on March 23 at 7 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church of San Francisco. Tickets are $10. For reservations call, Japan Society of Northern California, 415-986-4383. (First Unitarian Church of San Francisco, 1187 Franklin St., San Francisco.)

Theater
Itgirl Emerald Rain Productions, the Bay Area’s rock musical theater company will present the premiere of this comedy-romance about teen idols and corporate conspiracies from April 6 through May 6. It runs Fridays and Saturdays, April 7-15 at the Open Arts Circle, 530 E. 8th St., Oakland. And from April 21-May 6, Fridays and Saturdays at the Renaissance Ballroom, 285 Ellis St., San Francisco. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Admission is $12. For reservations or information, call 510-982-0433.

The Good Guys: An American Tragedy The Theatre of Yugen presents this multimedia drama about a 1991 hostage incident involving three Vietnamese American brothers in Sacramento. Developed and directed by Miko Lee and Michael Edo Keane. April 13-22. (Theater Artaud, 450 Florida St., San Francisco. 415-621-7797.)

Arts
Day of India Pacific Asia Museum offers a free festival featuring music, dance, crafts and traditional arts of India, on March 18 from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. (Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. 626-449-2742.)