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Arts
Asian Explorations Robert Apte, developer of the genre Photo-Icon-Ographs, will show his works on images of Japan, Korea, Bhutan from June 13-July 23. Apte focuses on hidden aspects of photographs enhanced with a computer. (Triton Museum of Art, 1505 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara. 408-247-3754.)

Deep Memory Washington Square Gallery presents the works of John Yoyogi Fortes in a solo show that begins June 3. Fortes is an example of an Asian American artist whose work has evolved from American art to Asian American art. Born in Japan, he has lived most of his life in the Central Valley. His new works incorporate Filipino symbols. (Washington Square Gallery, 1821 Powell St., San Francisco. Open Monday and Tuesday by appointment; Wednesday-Thursday, 12 -7 p.m.; and Friday-Sunday, 12-5 p.m. 415-291-9255.)

Dreams of San Francisco: Paintings by Zhao Zhunwang The Chinese Cultural Center presents a collection of Chinese ink and brush paintings by local artist Zhao Zhunwang, to be held May 13 through July 2, featuring unique renderings of familiar San Francisco and Bay Area surroundings. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For information call 415-986-1822 or visit www.c-c-c.org online. (Chinese Culture Center, 750 Kearny St., Holiday Inn, 3rd floor, San Francisco.)

Etchings by Yoko Hara The Ren Brown collection will present the debut exhibit of Tokyo-based artist Hara. The gallery is open everyday, except Tuesdays, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (1781 Highway One, Bodega Bay. 707-875-2922.)

Experimentation Through Color Buchon Gallery will present two outstanding painters, San Francisco-based artist Ken Kirsch and Brooklyn painter Hiroshi Kimura. The exhibition runs from May 26-June 28. (Buchon Gallery, 540 Hayes St., San Francisco.)

Fan Ho The Mill & Short Gallery present a one-man show of photography and film by award-winning artist Fan Ho from May 19-July 1. Special events include a showing of The Miserable Girl, a film based on Dostoyevsky’s The Insulted and the Injured on June 6 at 7 p.m. (The Mill & Short Gallery, 555 Sutter St., 4th Fl., San Francisco. 415-398-3630.)

Himalayan Galleries The Asian Art Museum presents new audio-enhanced docent-led tours of the museum’s Himalayan galleries, which house its rich and varied collection of artwork from Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. These free tours are accompanied by music and chants from the region. Tuesdays through Sundays, 12:30 p.m. (Asian Art Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 415-668-8928.)

International Art The Pacific Bridge Contemporary Southeast Asian Art will present Hands On: Cuba, Vietnam and California by artists Idilio Arnaud Lopez, Do Quoc Vi and Joel Bennett. An opening reception for the artists will be held on April 29 from 7-10 p.m. The exhibition will be on display through May 27. (95 Linden St., #6. Oakland. 510-451-8840.)

Lewis Suzuki Known for his range of colors, Suzuki’s works will be on display on June 3, 4, 10 and 11 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (2240 Grant St., Berkeley. 510-849-1427.)

MIX Exhibition The San Francisco Art Institute with Francisco Middle School and Gateway High School will present works from a project that brought students from various backgrounds together to create collaborative works. The show will continue until July 21, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (Mills Building, 220 Bush St., San Francisco. 415-551-7990.)

Printed Convictions The Mexican Museum will present a retrospective of the work of Juan Sanchez from May 13- Sept. 17. The solo exhibition will highlight 48 pieces that address the challenge Puerto Ricans face in examining their identities in the United States. (The Mexican Museum, Fort Mason Center, Bldg. D, San Francisco. 415-202-9700.)

Sasha Yungju Lee An exhibition of Lee’s work, which focuses on how women’s roles are portrayed by the mass media, will be on display from May 5 through June 7. (Triton Museum of Art, 1505 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara. 408-247-3754.)

Small Wonders Chinese snuff bottles from Bay Area collectors will be on display at the Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco from July 15-Oct. 8. Admission is free. Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Holiday Inn, 750 Kearny St., 3rd floor, San Francisco. 415-986-1822.)

Structure and Surface Contemporary Japanese textiles will be exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art through June 20. It features 75 works of astonishing complexity by the most influential textile artists, designers and manufacturers in Japan today. (SFMOMA, 151 3rd St., San Francisco. 415-357-4000.)

The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco offers visitors a rare glimpse of nearly 240 startling discoveries unearthed in China, including an array of jades, bronze sculptures and ornate silver and gold vessels. The exhibition runs from June 17-Sept. 11. (Asian Art Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 415-668-8928.)

Visons of Home d.p. Fong Galleries presents the works of Zhang Shipei through June 10. (383 S. First St., San Jose. 408-298-8877.)

Wayne Thiebaud The California Palace of the Legion of Honor presents the a retrospective of works by Thiebaud in celebration of the artist’s 80th birthday. From June 10-September 3. (California Palace of the Legion of Honor. Golden Gate Park, 75 Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco. 415-750-3614.)

Works on Industrial Graphite Don Soker Contemporary Art exhibits the works by Japanese artist Shoichi Seino from June 1-July 1. Using photographs of the river delta printed on industrial graphite, these elegant minimal works are traditional in approach and contemporary in concept. (Don Soker Contemporary Art, 49 Geary St., San Francisco. 415-291-0966.)

Dance
Butoh In conjunction with the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center’s United States of Asian America Festival 2000, The Ballad of Machiko, a butoh solo performance will be featured on June 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. (Randall Museum Theater, 199 Museum Way, San Francisco) A workshop Butoh: The Silent Voice of Our Ancestors will be held in conjunction on June 3 from 2:30-5:30 p.m. (Japanese Cultural & Community Center, 1840 Sutter St., San Francisco) For more information and reservation, call JCCCNC at 415-567-5505 or e-mail at aimajk@yahoo.com.

Ethnic Dance Festival San Francisco will turn into the world’s dance capital from June 9-25 with three weekends of the finest ethnic dance companies in Northern California. (For information, log on to www.worldartswest.org. For tickets, call 415-392-4400.)

Shan-Yee Poon Ballet A dance extravaganza that includes excerpts from Sleeping Beauty and Coppelia will be performed on June 18 at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children. For more information, call 415-387-2695. (Carol Channing Theater, Lowell High School, 1101 Eucalyptus Dr., San Francisco.)

Smuin Ballet/SF This contemporary ballet company presents its spring repertory season throughout May. Included in the program are company premieres Medea and Shinju, as well as a world premiere performance of The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Tickets are $30-35. (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St., San Francisco. 415-978-2787.)

The Dionysian Festival Mary Sano, Megan Nicely, Junko Sodeyama and Eri Majima will celebrate the 123rd anniversary of Isadora Duncan’s birth with dance performances on May 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12. For more information, call 415-357-1817. (Mary Sano Studio of Duncan Dancing, 245 5th St., Unit 314, San Francisco.)

Events
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.)

Fiesta Filipina 2000 The Bay Area, home to the largest Filipino community in the United States, will host a celebration on June 11-12 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Produced by Asian Pacific Exhibits and Conferences, the 7th annual event will commemorate the 102nd anniversary of Philippine independence from Spain, featuring Filipino, Asian and Hispanic musicians and dancers, including Jocelyn Enriquez, Richard Gomez and Back Draft. Tickets are $7. (Civic Center Plaza, San Francisco. 650-757-4803.)

Japanese Cultural Fair The traditions of Japan will illuminate Santa Cruz’ Mission Plaza on June 24 for the 14th Annual Japanese Cultural Fair. Highlighting this year’s events will be performances by the San Francisco Taiko Dojo, the Okinawa Dance Academy and storyteller, Megumi Fleming. Admission is free. For information, call 831-475-2115. (Mission Plaza, between Highway 1 and the Town Clock, Santa Cruz.)

Made in the USA, Angel Island Shhh The Kearny Street Workshop and California State Parks, in association with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and Angel Island Association present this exhibit exploring the identity secrets of Chinese immigrants detained and interrogated in the United States from June 17-Sept. 23. (Angel Island Immigration Station, Angel Island. 415-543-0520.)

Min-Sok Forum 2000 The Intercultural Institute of California, Korean Center, Inc., presents Korean Culture Goes Global: Technology, Tradition, Transculturism on May 26 from 12-4 p.m. Keynote speakers include Tae Hyun Yoo, Consul-General, Korea; Sund Dai Cho, Stanford University professor, and Robert Buswell, Director for the Center of Korean Studies, UCLA. Admission is free. (Golden Gate Club, Presidio, Bldg. 135, Fisher Loop, San Francisco. For more information, call Jack Suss at 415-441-1884.)

Thai Cultural Fair Wat Buddhapradeep of San Francisco and Thailand’s National Culture Commission, will present two days of traditional dance and music on June 3-4 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $4. (Hall of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 650-615-9528.)

Film
Regret to Inform This Academy Award nominated film, which explores the devastation of war from the perspective of both American and Vietnamese women left widowed by the violence of Vietnam, is now available on video.

Music
Four Season Gay Asian Pacific Alliance will present an evening of song, dance and theater on June 2 and 3 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. For more information, call 415-282-GAPA. (SOMARTS Cultural Center, 934 Brannan St.)

Jon Jang & James Newton Paul Robeson and Mei Lanfang, two heroes who fought racial discrimination with art, inspired Jang and Newton’s new work When Sorrow Turns to Joy. Jang and Newton will perform the world premier of the piece June 1-3 at 8 p.m. (Zellerbach Hall, U.C. Berkeley, Berkeley. 510-642-0212.)

Pan Pacific Stern Grove Festival will kick off its 63rd season with a performance featuring the Asian American fusion ensemble Hiroshima on June 11 at 2 p.m. For more information, call 415-252-6252. (Sigmund Stern Grove, 19th Ave. & Sloat Blvd., San Francisco.)

Rhythmix Experience the magical world of percussion featuring Carolyn Brandy, Janet Koike, Tina Blaine, Naomi True and Terri Wright. Inspired by the music traditions of Cuba, Japan, Africa and the Middle East, their inventive performances take cross-cultural expression to new level. On May 27 at 8 p.m. at the Dance Palace Community Center, Point Reyes Station, 415-663-1075. On June 2 at 8 p.m. at the Oakland Asian Community Center, 388 9th St., Oakland, 510-451-1132.)

San Francisco World Music Festival Building bridges through exposure to the diversity of musical culture, this first annual event will feature over 20 different performance groups over the course of the 3-day Memorial Day weekend, and will also include classes, workshops, discussions, and ongoing performances through May 28. For tickets and information call the Clarion Music Center at 415-391-1317 or the Cowell Theater Box Office at 415-441-3687.

Readings & Lectures
Poetry Reading The Chinatown Photographic Society will present an evening with poet Genny Lim along with Judy Hamaguchi, Dan Wu and Amy Yuen on May 27 from 2-4 p.m. Admission is free. (Chinatown Community Arts Program, 750 Kearny St., 3rd floor, San Francisco. 415-543-0520.)

Theater
Asian American Theater Company Tongue in a Mood, an experimental Filipino American comedy group, will present Tsinelas Ballet, on May 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12. Kip Fulbeck, a slam poet, will present his one-man show I Hope You Don’t Mind Me Asking, But... on May 28 and 29 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information about either show, call 415-440-5545. (SOMARTS Cultural Center, 934 Brannan St., San Francisco.)

Women Behind Walls Developed by the Braz-Valentine theater workshop at Chowchilla Women’s State Prison, this drama illustrates the experiences of five multi-cultural inmates, featuring the Tabia African American Theatre Ensemble, Teatro Familia Aztlan and Maiko Women’s Drum & Poetry Ensemble. The show runs June 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 at 8 p.m. and June 18 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15. (Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose. 1-800-642-8482.)

Migration of Faith Tibetan Buddhist art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s permanent collection, featuring 23 rare manuscripts and paintings, will be on display through Sept. 4. Admission is $7. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 213-857-6000.)

Mingei of Japan An exhibition of objects of daily use from Japan made from a variety of material is on display including indigo-dyed textiles, brushes and cabinets. Also on display are works from Keisuke Serizawa, among other artists. Through June 2. For more information call 619-239-0003. (Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park, Plaza de Panama, La Jolla.)

More Than a Game The Japanese American National Museum presents this ongoing exhibit that tells the story of an immigrant group’s journey in America through the universal theme of sport using artifacts such as team uniforms, photographs, news clippings, interactive kiosks and videos. (Japanese American National Museum, 369 East First St., Los Angeles. 213-625-0414.)

The Four Seasons: Visual Haiku The symbolic collages of mixed media artist Julie Smith are inspired by the shapes, colors and textures of Japanese kimonos as well as the simplicity and depth of haiku poetry, on display from April 29 to June 11. For more information call 626-449-2742. (Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Robles Ave, Pasadena.)

Finding common ground in L.A. The Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles and the Mexican Cultural Institute bring together the works of Kyu Sam Lim and Sergio Ladron de Guevara from May 12-June 1. (Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles, 5505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 323-936-7141.)

Theater
Follies East West Players will present the Broadway musical Follies for its final production of its 34th anniversary season May 17-June 11. Tickets are $35; they can be purchased by calling Telecharge at 800-625-7000. For more information call, 213-625-7000. (David Henry Hwang Theatre, 120 North Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles.)

Uncle Gunjiro’s Girlfriend Brenda Wong Aoki will perform this duet about the true story of the first Asian-Caucasian marriage in California, on April 30 at 7 p.m. at the Japan American Theater, 244 South San Pedro, Los Angeles; and on May 25 at 7 p.m. at the McCullum Theater, 73000 Fred Waring Dr., Palm Desert.

Mountain Patterns: Survival of Nuosu Culture in China Patterned clothing, silver jewelry and lacquered wood utensils will be on display at this exhibit featuring the handiwork of the mountain-dwelling Nuosu people of Southwestern China. The exhibit runs March 2-Sept. 4; admission is $2.50-

Akiko Yano One of Japan’s most enduring musical artists, Yano will appear on May 26-27 at 8:30 p.m. She gained international attention for her work with Ryuchi Sakamoto. Tickets are $20; they can be purchased by calling 212-239-6200. (Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., New York City. For more information, call 212-625-3750.)

Dance
Bian Dan H.T. Chen and Dancers, a multigenerational cast re-interprets the Asian immigrant experience through bamboo shoulder poles used throughout Asia to carry heavy loads. The work is at once the most complex undertaking to date for the troupe and its most thorough initiative in community involvement. The show runs from June 1-11, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 212-475-7710, for more information.