Community Calendar Announcements and Events for the Community
	The Greening of Asian Pacific America (Feature) First and Only APA Congresswoman Dies (in National News) APAs Struggle To Fit Into the Landscape of Progressive Politics (in Bay Area News) Fashion and Compassion (in Business) The Ultimate Sports Fan (in Sports) Out of Hiding (in A&E) Emil Amok: Un-American Airports (in Opinion)

A regional roundup of events of special interest to Asian Americans

REGIONS:

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Northern California
Southern California
Rest of the West
East Coast
National


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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Call for Visual Art Projects Kearny Street Workshop is interested in receiving visual art project proposals from Bay Area APA artists of all ages for an exhibition planned for the SomArts main gallery in May 2003. Proposals, including a description of the piece, concept/theme, artist statement, resume, slides, background info and a self-addressed stamped envelope, will be accepted until Oct 15. For more info: 415-503-0520 or ksw@somarts.org.

Here We Are In collaboration with the Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA of San Francisco, the Theatre of Yugen embarks on a new educational outreach program targeting the Pan-Asian communities of the Tenderloin and SOMA neighborhoods. This outreach provides free training and creative performance opportunities for youth ages 9-18. Here We Are will run through Nov. 8 at the Central YMCA, 220 Golden Gate Ave. (at Hyde), San Francisco. For more info: 415-621-0507 or www.theatreofyugen.org.

ARTS

Chen Yang-chun Watercolors The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco will present an exhibition of watercolor works entitled Infinite Harmony by Taiwanese painter Chen Yang-chun. Yang-chun captures a dreamlike quality in his female portraits and rustic landscape paintings. This exhibit will run through Oct. 13 at the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, 750 Kearny St., third floor, San Francisco. For more info: 415-986-1822 or www.c-c-c.org.

The Erotic Life of Clay The College of Creative Arts’ Fine Arts Gallery presents two shows in one: The Erotic Life of Clay, featuring SexPots and Jun Kaneko: On the Edge and In the Round, works that map the specific relationship between ceramics and sensuality, its language and metaphors. The exhibit will run through Oct. 17 on the San Francisco State University campus, 19th and Holloway avenues, San Francisco. Admission is free. For more info: 415-338-6535 or gallery@sfsu.edu.

International Vintage Poster Fair Sponsored by Wine Spectator, the ninth annual International Vintage Poster Fair will include a wide selection of original posters for art collectors and enthusiasts, with lectures by experts throughout the day. The show will take place Oct. 18 - 20 at Fort Mason Center’s Herbst Pavilion in San Francisco. Tickets: $10 - $25. For more info: 650-548-6700 or www.posterfair.com.

Quilts on Display The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles presents Quilts, Expressively Korean, an exhibit of 26 quilts by Korean artists influenced by American patchwork quilts. Quilts will be on display through Oct. 27 at the Museum of Quilts, 110 Paseo de San Antonio, in downtown San Jose. Admission: $3 - $4. No admission is charged on the first Thurs. of each month. For more info: 408-971-0323 x10 or www.sjquiltmuseum.org.

DANCE

The Hula Show Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu presents the world premiere of The Hula Show 2002: Stories of the Lehua. The Hula Show features live music and all new work alongside audience favorites, with guest musicians and dancers from Hawai‘i. The show will run from Oct. 5 - Oct. 12 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon St., San Francisco. Tickets: $25 - $100. For more info: 415-392-4400 or www.naleihulu.org.

The Hula Show 2002 Patrick Makuakane and his award-winning company present an evening of contemporary hula mua alongside traditional hula Oct. 5 - Oct 13. A special gala benefit reception precedes the Sat., Oct. 12, performance at 5:30 p.m. at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon St., San Francisco. For more info: 510-437-9881.

Pancha Jati With a repertoire ranging from the exploration of the rhythms of North and South India, stories and moving images of the courts of India to the pure dance energy of Tarana, the Chitresh Das Dance Company will present Pancha Jati Oct. 4 -5, 8 p.m., at the Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco. For more info: 415-499-1601 or www.kathak.org.

MUSIC

Asian American Jazz 2002 The 21st annual Asian American Jazz 2002, San Francisco festival presents two free performances, three featured performances and two community discussions exploring the theme of improvisation. Malachi Favors Maghostut, Bobby Bradford, William Roper, Tatsu Aoki and Francis Wong are among the featured performers. The festival will run until Oct. 5 in San Francisco’s Japantown. Venues include the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, Locus 1640 Post, and Romeo 5 Asian Art Cafe and Bar. Admission: $12 - $15. For more info: 415-353-5732 or www.asianimprov.com.

Eitetsu Hayashi Stanford Lively Arts presents Japanese superstar and taiko master Eitetsu Hayashi in the Northern California premiere of The Wings of Flightless Birds Sunday, Oct. 13, 2:30 p.m. in Stanford University’s Memorial Auditorium, 537 Lomita Mall, Stanford. Tickets: $26 - $38. For more info: 650-725-ARTS (2787) or http://livelyarts.stanford.edu.

Gu-Zheng Music San Francisco Gu-Zheng Music Society, in collaboration with San Francisco Arts Commission Chinatown Community Arts Program and the Grants for the Arts presents the Society’s Celebration of 20 Years. The performance will include distinct ethnic musical styles of lands including Tibet, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Shanxi and the Ganzu areas. The show takes place on Sat., Oct. 5, 7 p.m. at the Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Tickets: $20 - $50. For more info: 415-957-1146.

READINGS AND LECTURES

Bridging Asia and America in Writing Four Bay Area Asian American writers will discuss how Asia as a place, heritage and metaphor, has influenced their writing in a panel discussion entitled Bridging Asia and America in Writing: New Identities. They will also talk about how their literary work gives voice to changing cultural identities. Thurs., Oct. 10 from 5:45 p.m. - 7 p.m. at University of San Francisco’s Lone Mountain Campus, 2800 Turk Blvd., Room 148. Admission is free. For more info: 415-422-6357 or www.pacificrim.usfca.edu.

The Grapes of Wrath As part of the California Council for the Humanities California Stories: Reading the Grapes of Wrath project, the Chinatown Branch of the San Francisco Public Library presents a series of Chinese language (Mandarin) book reading discussions on John Steinbeck's book, The Grapes of Wrath, Oct. 5, 19 and 26, 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Chinatown Branch library, 1135 Powell St., San Francisco. For more info: 415-272-0275.

Poetry in Motion The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation will hold an event called Poetry in Motion, celebrating the power and emotion of Angel Island's immigrant voice Thurs., Oct. 3 at the San Francisco's Carnelian Room, 6 p.m. For more info: 415-561-2160 or info@aiisf.org.

Trinh T. Minh-ha Award-winning filmmaker, literary theorist, poet and educator Trinh T. Minh-ha has consistently challenged viewers and readers through six feature-length films and seven books. She will be presenting a reading from her newest work on Tues., Oct. 15, 8 p.m. at Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia St. (between 15th and 16th streets), in San Francisco’s Mission district. Admission: $5 - $15. For more info: 415-626-2787 or www.theintersection.org.

THEATER

Master of the (Miss) Universe The New Conservatory Theatre Center and Noel Alumit present Master of the (Miss) Universe, starring Alumit paying tribute to one of the world’s most enduring cultural icons: the beauty pageant. The show is a rollicking statement about race, sexuality, art and how to tell if one has a “good” nose. The show runs from Oct. 12 to Oct. 27 at the New Conservatory Theater Center, 25 Van Ness Ave. near Market, San Francisco. Tickets: $15 - $25. For more info: 415-861-8972 or www.nctcsf.org.

Spike Rhee’s Get on the Bus The Asian American Theater Company presents The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors in Spike Rhee’s Get on the Bus, a satirical look at a busload of very odd passengers who find themselves on a madcap journey to the gravesite of Bruce Lee. The performance will run Oct. 3 - 26, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 7 p.m. on Sundays at the Theatre of Yugen/Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa St., San Francisco. Tickets: $12 - $15. For more info: 415-440-5545 or www.asianamericantheater.org.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

ARTS

Arts of Asia and Oceania Asia Society of Southern California Center presents an exhibition and sale of rare and ancient artifacts and antiques, as well as contemporary art from throughout Asia. Everything from an intricately beaded coral and silver headdress from Mongolia to an abstract wooden ceremonial headdress from New Guinea will be on display, representing over 2,000 years of Asian art and culture. The show takes place Oct. 3 - 6 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., (on the corner of Pico Blvd.). Tickets: $12 -$60. For more info: 310-455-2886.

FILM AND VIDEO

Harmony Film Festival The Annual Harmony Film Festival will be held Oct. 4 - 6 at Monterey Park City Hall, featuring two films: Torilla Soup, a comedy based on the award-winning Chinese film Eat Drink Man Woman, and Heaven and Earth, a film about how a village woman named Le Ly is exploited by the Viet Cong, and American and Vietnamese advisors. For more info: 626-307-2541 or www.mpkrecreation.com.

MUSIC

Cross Cultural Jazz Stage Bus Santa Monica City College presents Born Free, a unique “stage bus” traveling show billed as an “Indonesian-Dutch-American cross-cultural performance” of jazz and improvised music. Born Free will perform a free concert Thurs., Oct. 10, 11:30 a.m. at the Santa Monica College Madison campus, Santa Monica Blvd. (at 11th St.). For more info: 310-434-3000.

THEATER

Chinadoll Lodestone Theatre Ensemble presents a workshop production of Elizabeth Wong’s play Chinadoll. The play tells the story of the first and brightest Asian American movie star, Anna May Wong, and her struggles in Hollywood. Starring Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club) and directed by Philip W. Chung, the performance takes place on Oct. 19, at noon at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Griffith Park. Admission is free, but on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more info: 310-281-7920.

EWP Goes Hawaii East West Player presents EWP Goes Hawaii, a performance that includes song, dance and comedy Hawaiian style. The traditional hula rhythm of contemporary music and humor of local-styled comedy will take place Sat., Oct. 12, 7 p.m. at the David Henry Hwang Theater, Union Center for the Arts, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles. Tickets: $50 - $150. For more info: 213-625-7000 or www.eastwestplayers.org.

Freak Storm Lodestone Theatre Ensemble presents the world premier of Freak Storm, a haunting and provocative examination of the nature of responsibility, the mysterious shifting bonds of friendship and the unknowability of the ones we love. The show will run Oct. 12 - Nov. 17 at the Little Theatre, 3326 Victory Blvd., Burbank. Tickets cost $12 - $14. For more info: 323-993-7245 or www.lodestonetheatre.org.

Live, Laugh, Love East West Players announces its 37th anniversary season of plays, including three world premieres (one of which is a new adaptation of a Shakespearean classic) and a cult musical favorite. The season’s theme celebrates life with laughter and love. Plays run through Oct. 6 at the David Henry Hwang Theater, Union Center for the Arts, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles. For more info: 213-625-7111 or www.eastwestplayers.org.

REST OF THE WEST

ARTS

Do-Ho Suh Seattle Art Museum (SAM) presents the work of contemporary Korean artist Do-Ho Suh, who uses suspended diaphanous silk and nylon architectural installations to reconstruct space and explore identity. These works will be on display through Dec. 1 at SAM, 100 University St., Seattle. For more info: 206-654-3255 or www.seattleartmuseum.org.

EAST COAST

ARTS

Bohnchang Koo Bohnchang Koo’s first American retrospective will open to the public on Nov. 6 at the Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, Salem, Mass. The exhibition will feature 28 photographs representing a broad spectrum of the Korean photographer’s work. Bohnchang Koo: Masterworks of Korean Photography will remain on view through Feb. 18, 2003. For more info: 978-745-9500 or www.pem.org.

Chen Zhen The Chinese-born, Paris-based artist Chen Zhen poetically employs both his study of traditional Chinese culture and his knowledge of Western avant-garde art to create work that engages contemporary social issues. The Institute of Contemporary Art at 955 Boylston St. in Boston will showcase Inner Body Landscapes until Dec. 31. Admission: $7 adults, $5 seniors and students, and free on Thursdays. For more info: 617-266-5152 or www.icaboston.org.

Munakat Shiko A retrospective exhibition devoted to Munakat Shiko, who was known to his Japanese contemporaries as an iconoclast and is often considered the 20th century’s most influential artist of the woodblock print, runs through Nov. 10 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway (at 26th St.). For more info: 215-763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.

MUSIC

Katz at Queens Pride House Asian American singer-songwriter Danny Katz will perform a solo show as part of a fundraiser for Queens Pride House, a LGBT community center serving the borough of Queens. Known for his unique lyrics, which cover topics as varied as American pop culture, failed relationships and food allergies, Katz will sing and play the guitar. The performance will take place Thurs., Oct. 17, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m. at Pegasus, 119 E. 60th St., (between Park and Lexington), Manhattan. Tickets: $5. For more info: 212-888-4702.

THEATER

Ping Chong Ping Chong and Company will celebrate Ping Chong's 30th anniversary as an independent theater artist Oct. 3 - 20 in a three-part festival that includes SlutforArt, Muna Tseng and UE92/02 at La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, 74A E. Fourth St., New York, NY. For more info: 212-476-7710 or www.lamama.org.

NATIONAL

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Call for Papers Essays are invited for a collection, tentatively entitled Yellow Peril, Model Minority or Karate Kid: Critical Perspectives on Asian American and Asian Diaspora Children’s Literature. Queries are welcome at any stage; one- to two-page abstracts are due on Oct. 21, and completed essays (5,000 - 6,000 words, MLA format) are due on Feb. 20, 2003. Send abstracts to Dolores de Manuel, English Department, Nassau Community College, 1 Education Dr., Garden City, NY 11530. For more info: 516-572-8154 or demanud@sunynassau.edu.