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AnonymousFor those interested in exploring Japanese samurai through art and imagery, the Pacific Asia Museum's new exhibition, "The Samurai Re-Imagined: From Ukiyo-e to Anime," will open on February 19.
"The Samurai Re-Imagined: From Ukiyo-e to Anime" (February 19 through August 9, 2009) uses the image of the iconic samurai warrior to explore the roots of the popular Japanese art forms of manga (graphic novels) and anime (animation). By juxtaposing traditional and contemporary works of art -- woodblock prints with animation cels, for example -- the exhibition creates a visual history demonstrating the links between fine art and popular culture.
The exhibit includes woodblock prints and paintings along with samurai swords and accoutrements from Pacific Asia Museums collection; plus animation productions cels and drawings, motion picture stills, posters, toys, and comic books and manga on loan from private collections.
For additional information, contact Julian Bermudez at (213) 219-9508 or mailto:[email protected].
For a listing of events related to this exhibition, visit the exhibition webpage at
http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/calendar/exhibitions/Samurai.htm.
clay dubeFrom the Museum (one of the best anywhere and especially teacher friendly):
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, as part of a major grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to expand its K-12 educational materials and programs, is gathering information from teachers about the use of visual arts in the classroom. Your valuable feedback will serve thousands of teachers and students in California and across the U.S.
The goal of this initiative, titled the “Bridge Project,” is to expand and update our existing teacher materials for use statewide, and ultimately, across the United States. Our first step is to gather feedback to ensure that we have an understanding of your current needs and preferences.
To begin, please go to the following link:
https://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/6ea8g3b215
The survey will take 15-20 minutes.
AnonymousThe Getty has a lovely exhibit on Japanese lacquer boxes that is well worth seeing.
Susan Dubin
clay dubeSusan's recommended this exhibition:
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/japanese_lacquer/
"Tales in Sprinkled Gold: Japanese Lacquer for European Collectors"
The exhibition just opened last week and runs through May 24, 2009. The website features a slide show of one box, details about the work to restore a particular chest, and information about the Tale of Genji images on the chest. It also has a terrific primer on the making of lacquerware.
The site is terrific and I'm looking forward to the exhibition.
[Note: please be sure to put your subject in the subject line. The system automatically inserts "re:..." but it's often helpful to put the name of the museum or exhibition in. THANKS 
]
AnonymousLocated in Little Tokyo:
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
LA, CA 90012
The museum has a bunch of different programs for educators and student visits. You can pick up a free brochure that outlines them all at the museum. The heart of the museum is an exhibit that traces Japanese immigration to the US and the internment experience. The museum also has an educational facility, the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, that offers teachers and students tools for exploring the meaning of citizenship. In addition, the museum has a variety of cultural workshops, including origami, story time, and taiko drum. Reservations open in July for the following school year. Bus expenses may be provided for Title One schools.
For families, the musem has free monthly programs (one Saturday per month). I've been to the last 2: photography and cooking. They had costumes for the kids and gave out photos. My daughters brought home about 5 photos each of them dressed in all types of garb. On the other visit, they got to cook stir fry vegetables and see mochi and sushi-making demonstrations (free samples too). The next one is scheduled for May 9 and is entitled "Aloha". Come and check it out. Free admission to all the museum exhibits that day too. Look at their website under "Target Free Family Saturday" for more information.
Here's their website:
http:/http://www.janm.org//[Edit by="mlloyd on May 7, 7:20:55 AM"][/Edit]
AnonymousI have taken students to the Asia Pacific Museum in Pasadena. The highlight of the tour was a cultural art class my students took from a professional Chinese calligrapher. My students learned how to write in Chinese characters and were able to take their projects with them. They loved the calligraphy class! My students talked about this field-trip for the rest of the year!
When you call for a tour for your students, you have the option of signing your class up for a cultural art class. There are a variety of choices: calligraphy, wood blocking, etc. The time spent at the Asia Pacific Museum will only take half a day.
AnonymousI visited the "Samurai Art" exhibit at the Bowers Museum on Sunday, May 24, 2009.
Although the term "art" is not a word that I would normally use to describe
any part of the Samurai uniform, the compelling displays revealed otherwise.
The Samurai Art exhibit covered the highlights and evolution of the Samurai
war regalia from: Nanbockuche (1336-1386), Edo (18th century), Muromachi
period (Onin War), Kamakura, and Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603. Thus,
the exhibit showed military equipage to showcase Samurai life as a whole.
One particular garment that was of interest to me was the "kosode"
which was worn by all societal classes albeit with varied levels
of construction and adornment during the Muromachi period (Onin War).
By contrast, the "kosode" in the the Kamakura period was when the change
of power shifted from the nobles to the Samurai political elites.
Then, in the Edo period of the 18th century the "kosode" was used
as an elaborate undergarment for the Heinan court nobles.
Although clothing and battle armor were the main features of this collection,
what would a Samurai be without his sword and his sword mount?
Sword mounting and the sword which is placed upon it are just as ceremonial
as their attire. Eventually, sword mounting became more elaborate throughout the
history of Japan.
The process by which the sword was quenched (i.e., immerse the hot object
in cold water) apparently gave it a quality of being: "hard to break, hard to bend,
and cuts well."
I can use this in the class room by comparing the "kosode" to various levels
of clothing that one can buy. For instance, I would ask students,
"How does clothing reveal status?" Their answers will vary, but the overall
theme would be for them to understand that what you wear reveals
how much money you have (i.e., status) or your political or social position.
My method of using Samurai clothing to relay the life of the Samurai, is
a simplistic way of teaching what could be a somewhat complicated subject
for students.
AnonymousUp in my neck of the woods, Sunland-Tujunga, Mc Groarty Art Center is presenting their annul Puppetry Festival on June 6th. I have gone to this event for years now and it is a very special experience. It provides fun for kids of all ages. The highlight of the festival happens when the sun goes down. There is a troupe of puppeteers who perform with traditional Balinese Shadow Puppets. The puppets are all handmade and the artistry of the performers is magical. I would encourage all to attend.
Here is the info: http://www.balibeyond.com/cp.html
AnonymousThis week I attended an exhibit at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Japanese Anime and Manga. The exhibit was mostly made up of cell art from Anime movies. There was however some memorabilia and descriptions of the evolution of the media. I am a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki, and the exhibit featured much of his work. That was the highlight of the show. A warning to viewers: if you attend this show there is an adult anime section behind a pink curtain on the fourth floor. It was interesting for adults but don’t let your kids follow you in, or they’ll never see Pokemon the same way ever again!
AnonymousTreasures through Six Generations: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy from the Weng Collection
Dates: April 11–July 13, 2009
Location: 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108, Boone Gallery
Hours, admission and contact information: Click here
Assembled primarily during the 19th century, the Weng Collection of Chinese painting and calligraphy has survived more than a century of dynastic changes and warfare to remain unscathed in the care of one family. Weng Tonghe (1830–1904), who formed the collection, was a preeminent figure in China, holding some of the highest positions at the imperial court. His collection was passed down through six generations, finally coming to his great great grandson Wango H. C. Weng.
“Treasures through Six Generations” presents 42 masterworks of Chinese painting and calligraphy created over a period of 900 years. Among them is a hand scroll by the Southern Song artist Liang Kai (13th century), the only known example of his courtly style. Also on view will be the monumental hand scroll painting Ten Thousand Li up the Yangzi River by Wang Hui (1632–1717), in which the artist traces China’s greatest river in more than 50 feet of imaginatively layered brushwork.
clay dubeThe Folger Library is located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and on the web at the address below. It has a fascinating exhibition running through January 9, 2010. Entitled "Imagining China," the exhibition looks at what Europeans knew/thought about China during the period 1550-1700. The exhibition includes illustrated books, maps, woodblock prints, ceramics, and much more. The website is well-done and a help for those unable to get to DC to see the actual materials.
clay dubeJapanese American National Museum
http://www.janm.org/
Target Free Family Day
Merry Melodies!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles CA 90012
(213) 625-0414
FREE ALL DAY
Delight in a day of family fun at the National Museum. November’s theme is music.
All Day Craft Activities:
• Make some jolly jingles by creating your own colorful and fun tambourine.
• Shake Shake! Time to be creative and design your own maraca using a variety of materials.
• Origami Corner: Make an Origami turkey, Gobble Gobble!
*Special Toy Drive: Bring a new, unwrapped toy to the National Museum and we’ll donate it to the Children’s Hospital of L.A. Schedule:
• 12 PM: Learn how to play giant Taiko drums.
• 1–4 PM: Kidding Around the Kitchen will help you make a veggie soup that will be music to everyone’s taste buds. This recipe is in honor of Vivaldi’s, Four Seasons.
• 1–3:30 PM: Have a great time singing your favorite songs with friends and family at the Rock Star Recording Workshop. (Limited to 20 children; first come, first serve)
• 2 PM: Taiko Performance
• December 5: Winter Family Breakfast Feast Cooking Workshop
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• December 12: Target Free Family Saturday
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• January 3: Oshogatsu Family Festival
The museum also has a toy drive to benefit the Children's Museum, click
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102751774701&s=6105&e=001Z2QlZBl6VT_MWezWap0A04csHRUKF0TCx1eccMI7m5F6UUmwOw3GdP95e_-izM5EehOiRO0SLOF0SkUYeq-IAw__l01V8uueL4_SkrrBziapEphUj51izWXF-nJkYAZhNQXpu-Ux7_xmXGNAMr6sbA==> ">here for more info.
AnonymousI just got back from visiting the Japanese American National museum this weekend. One of their major exhibits included: Giant Robot Biennale 2: 15 years
The exhibit included installations by David Choe, James Jean, and Souther Salazar, in addition to works by Theo Ellsworth, kozyndan, Stella Lai, Jack Long, Albert Reyes, Jeff Soto, Rob Sato, and Deth P. Sun.
I must admit that I was not aware of Giant Robot which is a bi-monthly magazine of Asian and Asian American popular culture founded by Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong in 1994. I honestly thought the exhibit was going to be about robots in Japanese cutlure.
I must also confess that although I found the exhibit to be interesting I am not really an admirer of Modern Art. I prefer Goya over Warhol any day; please give me metaphor and symbolism over abstracts. I must ask you to forgive my ignorance. I did learn a great deal during my walk through the museum however.[Edit by="jgonzalez on Nov 29, 9:49:20 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousSee a Film | Weekend Series | Everything is a Mystery: Four Films by Bong Joon-ho
December 11-12 | Bing Theater
LACMA is proud to host the first-ever Los Angeles retrospective of Korea's purveyor of the lyrical blockbuster, Bong Joon-ho. In the course of just four features—his third film, The Host, remains the highest-grossing Korean film of all time—Bong has established himself as a masterful manipulator of genre tropes who maintains a jaundiced eye and a penchant for slapstick absurdity. From rom-com (Barking Dogs Never Bite) to CGI creature feature (The Host) with two procedurals along the way, Bong skewers authority while depicting the webs of intrigue that gum up the mechanisms of modern life. His characters are ruthless detectives who end up down one rabbit hole or another.
Note: Bong will be on hand for a preview screening of his latest film, Mother, this year's foreign-language Oscar submission from South Korea.
Tickets: $7 members; $10 non-members
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ALSO:
Hear a Talk | Conversations on the Culture of Korean Buddhism
December 12 | 2 pm | Bing Theater
Venerable Hyon Gak, an American-born Buddhist monk, joins curator Hyonjeong Kim Han in conversation about the use of icons in Korean Buddhism. Following the conversation, Hyon Gak will sign copies of the book Wanting Enlightenment Is a Big Mistake: Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn.
Free, no reservations.
AnonymousI recently went to LACMA on a Target Holiday Monday (its free). I had never been to the Pavilion for Japanese Art or the Korean Pavillion, which I never knew was there. I really enjoyed both, although they were vastly different. To add to the admosphere there was music on every floor, on these special Target days at the museum. I really enjoyed the minatures on the ground floor. I once took a Chinese painting class in college, and I was amazed at the similarities in those paintings and the ones I studied. The following lines and the sense of low-tone color. In the Korean gallery I enjoyed the religious sculpture and clothes (especially the bridal gown).