Arts & Entertainment Calendar
A regional roundup of events of special interest to Asian Americans

Regions: Northern Calif., Southern Calif., Rest of the West, East Coast

Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy The San Francisco Arts Commission Chinatown Community Arts Program, and the Oriental Arts Association, presents an exhibition of Chinese artwork from June 3-July 1 at the Chinatown Community Arts Gallery. Gallery hours are Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is free. (Holiday Inn, 750 Kearny St., 3rd Floor, San Francisco. 415-252-2590.)

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, noon-7 p.m.; and Friday-Sunday, noon-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 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 Bucheon Gallery will present two outstanding painters, San Francisco-based artist Ken Kirsch and Brooklyn painter Hiroshi Kimura. The exhibition runs through June 28. (Bucheon 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.)

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 through 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 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.)

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.)

Floricanto Festival and Conference More than two dozen spoken word artist and performers will gather in San Jose for this three-day conference held June 9-11 that aims to unite artists and address issues related to art form, its impact on audiences and its development. Performances and workshops are open to the public. For tickets, call 408-938-3402.

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. On display from June 17-Sept. 23. (Angel Island Immigration Station, Angel Island. 415-543-0520.)

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.)

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.)

Irving M. Klein String Competition Twelve young musicians from around the world have been selected as semifinalists competing for a $10,000 first prize in this 15th annual string competition. The semifinals will be held on June 10 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The finals will be held on June 11 from 2-5:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for both days. For more information, call 415-278-5780 or 888-782-7755. (McKenna Theater, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco. )

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.)

Music in a Movement The Oakland Asian Cultural Center will present Charlie Chin and Colette Ikemi on June 3 at noon as part of an exhibit that documents musicians who created and recorded music with a pan-Asian sense. The expression, challenges negative stereotypes and created an API consciousness. The exhibit runs through September. The center is open on Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call 510-208-6080. (Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St., Suite 290, Oakland.)

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.)

Readings & Lectures
Helen Zia The Japan Society of Northern California along with the Asian Business League will present an evening with award-winning journalist Helen Zia, who will discuss the rise of Asian Americans as a politically and socially influential racial group and her new book Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People. The lecture will take place on June 22 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $10. For reservations, call 415-986-986-5772. (SPUR, World Affairs Center, 312 Sutter St., 5th Floor, San Francisco.)

Him Mark Lai The Chinese Historical Society of America will present Lai, who will lecture on the Chinese of Hawaii in a lecture on June 16 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. (644 Broadway, Suite 403, San Francisco. 415-391-1188.)

Poets Against Rape Women poets who invoke the language of courage, community and defiant resistance, will read on June 2 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5-25. For more information, call 415-861-2024. (Russian Center of San Francisco, 2460 Sutter St., San Francisco.)

Theater
Five Modern Noh Play Theater Rhubarb presents five Noh plays that have been updated to modern times by Japanese author Yukio Mishima. The show will run from June 9-10, 15-17 and 22-24 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. For more information, call Theater Rhubarb at 415-751-0439. (Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa, 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.)

Arts
Gods and Goblins Paintings of foolish monkeys, wrestling gods, playful goblins and humorous caricatures make up this first major West Coast exhibit of folk art from Otsu, Japan. Ongoing. (Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. 626-449-2742.)

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 through 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 through June 1. (Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles, 5505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 323-936-7141.)

Events
Go for Broke On June 3 at 10 a.m., join Noriyuki “Pat” Morita for an anniversary celebration of the Go for Broke monument and the honoring of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. For more information, call 310-327-4193 or e-mail goforbroke2@worldnett.att.net.

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

Tofu Goes Hollywood Cold Tofu, the nation’s first Asian American improvisational theater company presents this new work with special guests Brian Lohmann and Tracy Burns from June 9-18, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by calling 213-739-4142. (Theatre-Theatre, Pacific Theatre Building, 6425 Hollywood Blvd., 4th Floor, Los Angeles.)

Arts
Asian Art Now The Las Vegas Art Museum will present a new exhibition of contemporary Asian art through July 9. The show will include works from Japan, Korea and Taiwan. (9600 West Sahara Ave., Las Vegas. 702-360-8000.)

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 through Sept. 4; admission is $2.50-5.50. (Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, NE 45th St. and 17th Ave., University of Washington, Seattle. 206-543-7907.)

Paul Horiuchi Honored An exhibition celebrating the art of the late Paul Horiuchi will be on view through June 11. (Seattle Art Museum. 1400 E. Prospect St., Volunteer Park, Seattle. Visit their Web site at www.SeattleArtMuseum.org.)

Chinese Cloisonne The George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum’s collection of this art form is one of the largest outside of China. An exhibit of the works will be on display from June 14-December 31. Hours are Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $4. For more information, call 413-263-6800. (The Springfield Museums, 220 State St., Springfield, Ma.)

Paintings and Prints by Roger Shimomura The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History presents an installation of paintings that illustrates entries from Shimomura’s grandmother’s diaries remembering her Japanese American camp internment experiences. The exhibit will be on display from June 10-Sept. 4. For more information, visit the museum’s Web site at http://americanhistory.si.edu or call 202-357-2700. (14th St. and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.)

Dance
Bian Dan La MaMa Experimental Theater Club will present this work by H.T. Chen and Dancers from June 1-11, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. (74A E. Fourth St., New York City. 212-475-7710.)

Theater
High SLANT, a three-man ensemble, creates this performance art work set in the New York City subways, which looks at a multi-ethnic crossroads of characters through the eyes of young Asian men. The show runs from June 8-25, Thursdays-Sundays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12. (La MaMa E.T.C., 74A East Fourth St., New York City. 212-475-7710.)