Community Calendar Announcements and Events for the Community
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A regional roundup of events of special interest to Asian Americans

REGIONS:

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Northern California
Southern California
East Coast
National


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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

ARTS

Chinese New Year, Sf Images from Asian America’s (unofficial) capital, in full celebration mode: it’s Chinese New Year, San Francisco, the work of photographers Kieran Ridge and Hiromi Oda documenting the Lunar New Year festivities, and it’s on display at Borders Bookstore, Union Square, San Francisco, until Feb. 15. For more info: www.thestreetsofsanfrancisco.com.

Bayan Muna Images of the Filipino people, from the urban poor to indigenous communities, make up the exhibit Bayan Muna: Images of Strength and Struggle in the Philippines. The exhibit, which addresses issues such as reform, civil rights and globalization will be on display through Feb. 28. at the San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin St. A special program on the exhibit will be held Wed., Feb. 12, 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. For more info: 415-557-4277 or www.sfpl.org.

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., until March 20. For more info: 415-557-4277 or www.sfpl.org.

DANCE

CaveWomen The Dance Brigade, San Francisco’s most provocative dance theater company returns with CaveWomen … The Next Incarnation! This boundary-pushing production features taiko-wushu-dance-theater-site-specific work, juxtaposing hot political topics with visceral stories about the 10th century yogini women of India and Tibet. Whew! We’re tired just thinking about it. Perfomances will be held Feb. 1 – March 2 at the Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., San Francisco. For more info: 415-273-4633 or www.dancemission.com.

Footprint Lost in Sand Japanese artist Tatami will explore the forces of time and nature in a mobu–(modern butoh) performance, also featuring the sculpture of Coreen Abbot and the video and music of Terry Hatfield. The performances will take place Feb. 7, 8, 8 p.m. at the Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa St., San Francisco. Tickets: $15. For more info: 415-621-7978 or www.theatreofyugen.org.

FAMILY

Art Buddies Families are invited to join the Sonoma Museum of Visual Arts in an afternoon of art exploration and production. Art supplies for everyone! The Bring a Buddy Art Afternoon will be held Sat., Feb. 1, 2–4 p.m. at the Sonoma Museum of Visual Art, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Rd., Santa Rosa. Admission: $25 for two, $5 for each additional person. For more info: 707-527-0297.

Family Walks After digging into great garden stories at children’s storytime, head outside for a special tour of the Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. February’s theme is “What Comes from Planting Seeds and Burying Bulbs?” and it’s all happening at the Strybing Arboretum, San Francisco, Sun., Feb. 2, 16, 10:30 a.m. Admission: free. For more info: 415-661-1316 or www.strybing.org.

Stories and Quilt Sharing In conjunction with the Quilted Journeys exhibit, the Museum of Craft & Folk Art and the San Francisco Quilters’ Guild will sponsor an afternoon of quilt and story sharing for ages 6 and up. Families are invited to bring their quilts to share and to learn about their fabrics and patterns on Sat., Feb. 8, 2–4 p.m. at the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, San Francisco. Admission: $5 per family. For more info: 415-775-0991 or www.mocfa.org.

MUSIC

Kodo: One Earth Tour The “percussionist kamikazes” of Kodo have partnered with artists from Max Roach to the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart. Now, these Japanese artists will bring their 800-lb. Odaiko drum and their primal energy to UC Davis’ Mondavi Center, in their One Earth Tour, on Sat., Feb. 1.FTickets: $29–39. For more info: 530-752-1915 or www.mondaviarts.org.

Helobung Cultural Troupe A collective of ten indigenous T’boli master artists of the Philippines will bring the music and dance of their endangered culture to the Brava Theater Center, 2789 24th St., San Francisco, Feb. 7–9. The Helobung Cultural Troupe will also present various exhibits, lectures, demonstrations and workshops in connection with the performances. Tickets: $12. For more info: 415-239-0249 or www.kularts.org.

READINGS AND LECTURES

A.S. Byatt Booker Prize-winning novelist A.S. Byatt will speak about literature, language and her newest book, The Biographer’s Tale, at City Arts & Lectures, as part of its Art & Politics 2003 series. The lecture will take place Tue., Jan. 28, 8 p.m. at the Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Tickets: $18. For more info: 415-392-4400.

Queer Bollywood A joint lecture presentation and video screening by UC Davis professor Gayatri Gopinath and AIDS activist Javid Syed will investigate the history of queer imagery in Indian popular cinema. Queer Bollywood: Alternative Sexualities in Popular Indian Cinema will take place Sat., Feb. 1, 3 p.m. at the San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin St. For more info: www.sfpl.org.

Dinh Q. Le Vietnamese multi-media artist Dinh Q. Le appears at Mills College as part of a year-long series of lectures on contemporary art. Le will speak Wed., Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m. at the Lucie Stern Hall, Room, 100. For more info: 510-430-2117.

THEATER

Halo-Halo Halo-Halo is more than a Philipino dessert, it’s a history-making production that will feature, for the first time, the queer Pilipino experience. Based on the variety programs of the Philippines, Halo-Halo: A Queer Pinay Revue will showcase issues of identity through the artists’ individual pieces. On stage Feb. 6–8, 8 p.m. at Bindlestiff Studio, 185 6th St., San Francisco. Tickets: $15. For more info: 415-974-1167.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Transformers The artists invite you to imagine a set of water buffalo twins separated at birth, one of them raised by a wealthy family of lions, the other by a six-pack of root beer… Not sure what’s going on? Neither are we, but the multi-media meditations of identity and transformation of Transformers: More Than Meets Thee I are bound to be interesting. Mutating until Feb. 8 at the Crazy Space Gallery, 1629 18th St., #2, Santa Monica. For more info: 310-829-9789.

THEATER

Little Shop of Horrors Feed me (noodles)! East West Players moves Seymour, Audrey and the whole Little Shop of Horrors crew to L.A.’s Chinatown, in an all-new all-APA production of the camp musical classic. Get a lesson in carnivorous botany Feb. 5 – March 2 at the David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles. Tickets: $25–30. For more info: 213-625-7000.

EAST COAST

ARTS

Alia Syed The Talwar Gallery plays host to two film works of Alia Syed, in her first solo exhibition in the United States. Spoken Diary and Swan will be on display until Feb. 13 at the Talwar Gallery, 108 E. 16th St., New York City. For more info: www.talwargallery.com.

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.

EVENTS

Lunar New Year Folk Festival Celebrate the Lunar New Year with APA folk artists. The Asian American Arts Centre’s Lunar New Year Folk Arts Festival will feature a Chinese shadow puppet performance, Korean origami, Indian Mahendi hand-painting, and an erhu performer, as well as an exhibition of the dough figurines of master folk artist Ye Xun. The festivities begin Sun., Feb. 2, 2–4 p.m., at the Asian American Arts Centre, 26 Bowery, 3rd Floor, New York City. Ye Xun’s dough figurines will remain on display until March 7. Admission: $12. For more info: 212-233-2154 or www.artspiral.org.

Lunar New Year in the Big Apple The Museum of Chinese in the Americas sponsors a whole host of events to ring in the Lunar New Year in New York City: Feb. 1–2, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., enjoy arts, crafts, food and performances in Columbus Park, Mulberry Street; Sun., Feb 2, 1–4 p.m., soak up the calm of the Staten Island Botanical Garden’s New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden and make paper lanterns and other crafts; Feb. 7–8, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., groove with the Chinese Folk Dance Company and the traditional sounds of the Ba Ban Chinese Music Society at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St. For more info: www.moca-nyc.org.

THEATER

Takeout Comedy Join Takeout Comedy (“We Deliver Fun”) for a night of comedy, music, magic, games and fun in celebration of the Lunar New Year. It’s the only live show in NYC Chinatown, and it’s happening Thur., Feb. 6, at Asia Roma, 40 Mulberry St. Tickets: $10. For more info: 212-385-1133.

NATIONAL

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Cure The Asian American Theater Company, Youthspeaks, Locus, and the Jon Sims Center in San Francisco are looking for actors of diverse hues for The Cure, a new play by Joel Barraquiel Tan and Ginu Kamani. Auditions are scheduled for Sat., Feb. 15, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more info: 415-543-5738.

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 theDAbove. 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.