Community Calendar Announcements and Events for the Community
	Korean Centennial (Feature) Communities Brace for Second INS Registration Deadline (in National News) Wins Workers Get $337,000 in Back Wages From Lockbox (in Bay Area News) Matsui Heads for the Bronx: Frog, Prince or Toad? (in Sports) Look Out! Films to see in 2003 (in A&E) Emil Amok: In Defense of the Short and Fat (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

Animated Life Locus 1640 and NAATA are looking for Bay Area Asian American animators to contribute completed short works to Animated Life, an evening of independent animated shorts to be held on Feb. 26. Deadline: Jan. 18. For more info: valmih@attbi.com.

ARTS

At Home in San Francisco Photographer Benjamen Chinn grew up on Commercial Street in Chinatown, trained with Ansel Adams and Alberto Giacometti, and now in his 80s, lives once again on Commercial Street. The Chinese Historical Society celebrates his decades of artistic achievement and community involvement with Benjamen Chinn: At Home in San Francisco, a retrospective of Chinn’s work, featuring photographs of San Francisco’s Chinatown during the pivotal years of the ’40s and ’50s. On display at the Chinese Historical Society of America, 965 Clay St., San Francisco, until May 31. For more info: 415-391-1188.

Long Walk to Freedom The extraordinary contributions of Yuri Kochiyama, will be celebrated in a new living-history exhibition, along with those of 11 other civil rights pioneers. The Long Walk to Freedom, 1900 — Now: Portraits of Civil Rights Activists Then and Now will be on display at the San Francisco Main Branch Library, 100 Larkin St., Jan. 18 – March 20, with a reception honoring the activists Sat., Feb. 1. For more info: 415-557-4277 or www.sfpl.org.

Quilted Journeys Immigration is the story behind the stitchery in the Museum of Craft & Folk Art’s exhibition Quilted Journeys: Immigration Stories by Australian Artists. Immigrants from Asia, Oceania and Europe tell their tales of coming to new lives in Australia, in 25 quilts ranging from simple to intricate. On display at the Museum of Craft & Folk Art, Fort Mason Center, Building A, San Francisco, Jan 15 – April 27, with a curator’s talk on Wed., Jan. 15, 4 p.m. For more info: 415-775-0991 or www.mocfa.org.

Speak Truth to Power Speak Truth to Power, an exhibition of powerful black-and-white portraits of human rights defenders by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Eddie Adams will be on view until Feb. 23 at San Francisco Main Library’s Jewett Gallery, 100 Larkin St. For more info: 415-557-4277.

No Ghost Just a Shell The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art presents No Ghost Just a Shell, a joint multi-media project of Philippe Parreno and Pierre Huyghe. Inspired when the artists acquired rights to a Japanese manga character named Annlee, the exhibition presents 12 works associated with the project, from video animations to a neon sculpture. On view until March 16 at the SFMOMA, 151 3rd St. For more info: www.sfmoma.org.

Manga The National Japanese American Historical Society presents Manga: A Century of Social Commentary by Japanese Artists in America, an exhibition of manga artists old and new. Works by Henry Yoshitaka Kiyama, Taro Yashima, Jack Matsuoka, Pete Hironaka, Kaji Kawaguchi and Stan Sakai will be on display until Jan. 31 at the NJAHS Gallery, 1684 Post, San Francisco.

EVENTS

Folk This! Sing along with the folks from Peninsula Peace and Justice Center as they celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with the 11th Annual Community Sing Along, featuring Folk This! The hootin’ and stompin’ for peace gets going Sat., Jan. 11, 7 :30 p.m. at the Fellowship Hall, 1140 Cowper St., Palo Alto. Tickets: $7–15. For more info: 650-326-8837 or www.peaceandjustice.org.

Watery Parks Get ready for the Year of the Ram with a little (urban) mountaineering: explore San Francisco’s Watery Parks on a guided walk organized by the eco-warriors at the Greenbelt Alliance. The excursion will take place Sun., Jan. 12, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. For more info: 415-255-3233 or www.greenbelt.org.

Asian American Multimedia and Books Expo The wide panorama of the Asian book and media world will be on display at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, in a free exposition sponsored by the Asian Branch Library and East Wind Books. Representatives from community organizations will also be on hand to answer questions, making the whole event a celebration of cultural richness. Drop by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St., Ste. 290, Pacific Renaissance Plaza, Jan. 18–20, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more info: 510-238-3400 or www.oacc.cc.

FAMILY

Healthy Kids! Healthy Kids, the low-cost health coverage plan for San Francisco children and teens, is celebrating its first birthday. Fete the anniversary of healthcare for all children, regardless of immigration status, at Healthy Kids celebrations across the city, and get your kids a free health and dental check-up while you are there. Bring proof of residency, income, and birth to the Chinatown Beacon Center, 840 Broadway, on Sat., Jan. 11 or Mission Dolores Church, 3321 16th St., on Sun., Jan. 12, both 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. For more info: 415-547-7818 x272.

Khoom Fay Whoosh! How do you make an elephant fly? Come see the demonstrations of the unique art of Khoom Fay, Thai hot air balloons and find out. It’s all part of the Elephants! exhibit at the Lawrence Hall of Science on Sat., Jan. 11, 1–3 p.m. For more info: 510-642-5132, www.lawrencehallofscience.org.

Children’s Film Festival Have a quiet Sunday afternoon, rain or shine, at the Pacific Film Archives’ 11th Annual Children’s Film Festival. Movies from around the world specially selected for children will be featured every Sunday, Jan. 19 – Feb. 16, 1 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive Theater, 2575 Bancroft, Berkeley. Tickets: $4.50. For more info: 510-642-1412 or www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/pfa/.

Family explorations! Celebrate the Lunar New Year at the Oakland Museum of California. Performances will include lion dancers, the Korean Women Drummers, a tae kwan do demonstration, Vietnamese and Tibetan dancers, storytelling by DEAF media, cooking demonstrations, a marketplace and craft activities. Check it all out Sun., Jan. 19, 12–4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum, 10th and Oak Streets, Oakland. Admission: $4–6. For more info: 510-238-2200 or www.museumca.org.

Watch out for Whales! The gray whales are on the move! Heading from the Artic to Baja, 20,000 gray whales will pass by San Francisco this winter and spring, and tours led by the nonprofit Oceanic Society are a great way to make sure you don’t miss them. Trips leave from San Francisco and Half Moon Bay every weekend until May 18, and special fares are available for children. For more info: 415-474-3385 or www.oceanicsociety.org.

MUSIC

Japanese Music Summit Bay Area masters representing disciplines from traditional to contemporary music will gather to share their music in the second annual Japanese Music Summit, sponsored by Old First Concerts. The evening of performance will take place Fri., Jan. 10, 8 p.m. at the Old First Church, 1751 Sacramento St., San Francisco. Tickets: $9–12. For more info: 415-454-1608 or www.oldfirstconcerts.org.

Learn to Erhu Take advantage of the rare opportunity to learn from an erhu (Chinese two-stringed instrument) virtuoso at the Clarion Music Center’s erhu workshop. Open to all musicians, the workshops will take place Mondays, 7–9 p.m., Jan. 6–27, at the Clarion Music Center, 816 Sacramento St., San Francisco. For more info: francis@asianimprov.com.

Bach, Beethoven and Chin The Berkeley Symphony, conducted by Kent Nagano, presents a program of innovative and familiar music, including Japanese composer Ichiro Nodaira’s arrangements of Bach and Korean-born composer Unsuk Chin’s work for percussion. The program of international music will be presented twice, Thur., Jan. 16 and Sat., Jan. 18, 8 p.m. at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2015 Addison. Tickets: $21–45. For more info: 510-841-2800 or www.berkeleysymphony.org.

FREADINGS AND LECTURES

The Magical Monkey King Ji Li Jiang, author of Red Scarf Girl, will read from her new book The Magical Monkey King: Mischief in Heaven and present a slide show about her childhood as part of the San Francisco Public Library’s public programming. The free event will take place Sat., Jan. 11, 3 p.m. at the Richmond Branch Library, 351 9th Ave. For more info: 415-557-4277 or www.sfpl.org.

this bridge we call home The writers who contributed to the anthology this bridge we call home have a vision for women of color consciousness. Find out what they are thinking, and hear excerpts from the book, at a reading in the Main Library’s Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco, Sun., Jan. 12, 1 p.m. For more info: 415-557-4277 or www.sfpl.org.

Spolight on Asia-Pacific The Kiriyama Pacific Rim Briefing series presents 2003 Global Economic, Political, and Financial Trends: Spotlight on the Asia-Pacific Region, with David Hale, chairman of China Online and Marsha Vande Berg, editor of The World Report. The free presentation is open to the public and will take place Thur., Jan. 16, 5:45 p.m. at USF’s Lone Mountain Campus, Room 100, 2800 Turk Blvd., San Francisco. For more info: 415-422-6357.

THEATER

Brown Out Bindlestiff Studio’s filmmaking cadre, the Queue, invites you to the first annual Brown Out Film Festival, premiering first works by up-and-coming Filipino American filmmakers. This year’s festival will feature two new works, Rebuilt Tranny and Christine 3:16, showing Jan. 10–11, 8 p.m. at Bindlestiff Studio, 185 6th St., San Francisco. For more info: 415-974-1167.

Norton I Find out what made 19th century immigrant Joshua Abraham Norton declare himself the Emperor of the United States, and get answers to other all-American puzzles at the Theatre of Yugen’s production of Norton I (The Fall and Rise of the Emperor of the United States), Jan. 13–14, 8 p.m., at the Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa St., San Francisco. For more info: 415-621-7978 or www.theatreofyugen.org.

Tea Crossing the spiritual borders between life and death as well as the cultural borders between Kansas and Japan, the Japanese American characters in Velina Hasu Houston’s play Tea explore issues of cultural identity and community. Tea will run Jan. 21 – Feb. 16 at the Sacramento Theatre Company, 1419 H St., Sacramento. Tickets: $18–36. For more info: 916-443-6722 or www.sactheatre.org.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

ANNOUNCEMENTS

LA: Asian American Style Wide Eyed Workshops is looking for APA writers and arts organizers to participate in its creative writing workshop series, Exploring Los Angeles: Asian American Style. Writers interested in working with the topic of APA Los Angeles should submit a writing sample and statement of purpose to: Brandy Liên Worrall, 3230 Campbell Hall, Box 951546, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1546 or brandy22@ucla.edu by Jan. 11.

Money for Folk Art Los Angeles County folk artists are encouraged to apply for the California Arts Council’s Traditional Folk Arts Program, which provides funds of up to $5,000 for eligible folk arts projects. Deadline: March 7. For more info: www.folkculture.org.

ARTS

Crafting History Japanese American artists didn’t have much to work with in the WWII concentration camps, only thousands of years of cultural richness ... The striking legacy of craft objects made in the camps, from pins to furniture, is on display at the Japanese American National Museum, 369 E. 1st St., Los Angeles. For more info: 213-625-0414 or www.janm.org.

Visions of Enlightenment The Pacific Asia Museum explores the art and symbolism of Buddhism in Visions of Enlightenment: Understanding the Art of Buddhism, an exhibit presenting paintings, sculptures and ritual objects from India, Tibet, China, Thailand and Japan. In concurrence with the main exhibit, the museum will highlight the traditional fabric arts of Tibet, as interpreted by Leslie Rinchen Wongmo, in the exhibition Sacred Stitches: Tibetan Buddhist Images Pieced in Silk. Both will be on view until Jan. 12 at the Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. For more info: 626-449-2742 or www.pacificasiamuseum.org.

Shikishi The Japanese tradition of creating artful and creative “poem cards” for the New Year is celebrated in the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center’s 5th Annual Shikishi Exhibition. The JACC invited local artists, celebrities, politicians, children, priests and writers to convey their wishes for the coming year: the results will be on display until Feb. 2 at the George J. Doizaki Gallery at the JACC, 244 S. San Pedro St, Los Angeles. For more info: 213-628-2725.

Miracles and Mischief The Los Angeles County Museum presents the first major and comprehensive U.S. exhibition of art from Japan’s noh and kyogen theater. Miracles and Mischief: Noh and Kyogen Theater in Japan features carved wooden masks, woven and embellished costumes, laquered musical instruments and painted screens and handscrolls, many of which have never been exhibited outside Japan, and will remain on view until Feb. 2 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. For more info: 323-857-6000 or www.lacma.org.

EVENTS

Monster Ball Party with Pilipino activists and artists at the Monster Ball, a release party for Joel Barraquiel Tan’s first book of poetry, Monster. Mirroring the traditional Philipino debutante’s ball, the event will feature works of avant-garde artists, a market exhibit, food stands, music, poetry and games, all benefiting the Pilipino Artist Network Literary and Spoken Word series. It all goes down Sun., Jan. 19, 5 p.m. at 3200 W. Temple St., Los Angeles. Tickets: $5. For more info: 213-389-3050.

FREADINGS AND LECTURES

Fish Food Find out what fish are sustainable, safe to eat and why you should care at the Aquarium of the Pacific’s panel discussion “Can We Have Our Fish and Eat Them Too?” on Thur., Jan. 16, 6:30 p.m. at the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Honda Theater, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach. Tickets: $9. For more info: 562-951-1630 or www.aquariumofthepacific.org.

THEATER

Teahouse of the August Moon The comic possibilities are endless when a naïve GI lands in sophisticated Okinawa after WWII … See John Patrick’s Teahouse of the August Moon~at the Secret Rose Theatre, 11246 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, until Jan. 19. Tickets: $18. For more info: 818-623-4291.

Mapa Mia! Alec Mapa, APA actor, star of M. Butterfly, and self-mythologizer presents two works about … himself. The double-bill of I Remember Mapa and Drama! will play at the Mark Taper Forum’s Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City, Jan. 23 – Feb. 9. Tickets: $20. For more info: 213-628-2772 or www.taperahmanson.com.

REST OF THE WEST

ARTS

Rabbit, Cat, and Horse and Vignette From woodblock prints and kimono designs to Hello Kitty and girl power, the Japanese fascination with animals is the focus of the Seattle Asian Art Museum’s newest exhibits. In Rabbit, Cat, and Horse, curator Yukiko Shirahira presents images of animals in Japanese art from the 4th century to the present. In Vignette, a complementary exhibit, Seattle-based artist Maki Tamura brings her skill at combining Eastern and Western art techniques to an examination of the pop culture phenomenon of Hello Kitty. Tamura will speak about her work at the museum on Thur., Jan. 9, 7 p.m. Both exhibits are housed in the Seattle Asian Arts Museum, 1400 E. Prospect St., and will be on display until March 16. For more info: 206-654-3100 or www.seattleartmuseum.org.

READINGS AND LECTURES

Snowflakes to Skull Trees Learn about the inkat and inlay designs of Indonesian art, and their cultural sources, in a lecture by Seattle Art Museum curator Pam McClusky titled From Snowflakes to Skull Trees: Indonesian Textiles. The lecture will take place Thur., Jan 23, 7 p.m. at the Nordstrom Lecture Hall, 100 University St., Seattle. Tickets: $7. For more info: 206-654-3137 or www.seattleartmuseum.org.

EAST COAST

ARTS

Not Your Chop Suey Chinatown Corky Lee, the premier photographer of Asian Pacific America, has selected eight photographers, from photojournalists to still life artists, to create a photographic portrait of New York’s Chinatown. The results are on display at the Asian American Arts Centre, 26 Bowery, 3rd Floor, New York City, until Jan. 17. For more info: 212-233-2154.

Gotta Sing Gotta Dance! The Museum of Chinese in the Americas revisits the nightclub area of the 1930s to 1950s in Gotta Sing Gotta Dance!, a new exhibit that takes an intimate look at Chinese American nightclub performers and their contribution to American entertainment. The exhibit of videos, music, artifacts and photographs continues until May 31 at the Museum of Chinese in the Americas, 70 Mulberry St., Second Floor, New York City. For more info: 212-619-4785 or www.moca-nyc.org.

Image and Empire Colonial India, as seen by South Asian and Western artists, will be on display at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Harvard University, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge, Mass. Image and Empire: Picturing India During the Colonial Era includes works from 16th century Portuguese jewelcases to 1937 modernism, and will be on display until May 25. For more info: www.artmuseums.harvard.edu.

DANCE

Composers and Choreographers Student work will be showcased at Juilliard’s annual Composers and Choreographers free performance, including Low Languid Lucid, a collaboration of Cynthia Lee Wong and Sebastian Gehrke and Impression of Wind, a collaboration of Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum and Yin-Ling Lin. All will be performed Wed., Jan. 22, 1 p.m. at the Alice Tully Hall, Juilliard, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City. For more info: 212-769-7406.

NATIONAL

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Waterwind Been writing songs for Jesus? The Asian American Center at the American Baptist Seminary of the West invites submissions for Waterwind: The Asian American Christian Songwriting Contest. First prize: $500. Deadline: Feb. 3. For more info: www.asianamericancenter.org.

Artwallah What is Artwallah? A) The fourth annual Festival of the South Asian Diaspora, held in Hollywood, June 26–29. B) A grassroots initiative providing a platform of expression for South Asian diasporic artists and their communities. The answer is All of the Above. Submissions for the upcoming show are encouraged. Deadline: Feb. 15. For more info: www.artwallah.org.

Katha India Currents, the nation’s leading Indian American monthly, is calling for submissions of short works to Katha: The Indian American Fiction Contest. Deadline: Feb. 20. For more info: 408-274-6966 or www.indiacurrents.com.