Home Arts Arts Etc. Art Etc. – 2/16/2011

Art Etc. – 2/16/2011

Alan Chong Lau

February 16, 2011

776

Highlights
Visual Arts
Performing Arts
Film/Media
Written Arts
Art News/ Opportunites

Highlights

Maria Batayola, the Filipino Community of Seattle (FCS) Kultura Arts Chair keeps the arts thriving with lots of arts activities. Weng Gavino is a noted local metal intaglio artist. For years he has worked on a mural, telling the story of Filipino American history and immigration to the Northwest. He will display his work and talk about his mural at the center in an evening program. On Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m., there will be a tour of the mural. At 7 p.m., hear the artist talk about the work with a reception following at 8 p.m. with a Q & A session. Admission is free but please RSVP to [email protected] to reserve a seat.
Several years ago, ethnomusicologist/author Deborah Wong came out with a ground-breaking book entitled, “Speak it Louder: Asian Americans Making Music” that addressed vital issues facing Asian Americans in all genres of music. Wong will be in Seattle to give a talk entitled, “Taiko in North America” and conduct a seminar entitled, “Ethnomusicology and Difference” on the UW campus on February 18. The talk takes place at Brechemin Auditorium at 12:30 p.m. and the seminar is at 2:30 p.m. at the Fishbowl Conference Room. Call (206) 685-8384 or visit www.music.washington.edu.
“Slide To Freedom” is the title of a concert featuring two very different guitarists forging distinct slide guitar traditions worlds apart. American Doug Cox plays in the Appalachian blues style while Salil Bhatt plays slide guitar in the Indian classical tradition. What they conjure up when they meet on a stage makes for very unique results. Enjoy their performance on Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kirkland Performance Center in Kirkland. For tickets, call (425) 893-9900 or go to www.kpcenter.org.
The anniversary of the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII is noted in numerous events this month. A “Minidoka Taiko Festival” will feature six local taiko groups performing to raise money for the annual Minikoka pilgrimage. The festival takes place on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. at Seattle University’s Pigott Hall and admission is $20. For details, call (206) 568-7114 or visit www.minkokapilgrimage.org. A second event entitled, “Poems in and outside the Barbed Wires” is an annual UW Day of Remembrance event to commemorate the anniversary of west coast Japanese Americans when they were forced into internment camps by government order after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Japanese professor Teruko Kumei, a specialist on Issei poetry will read poems from the first generation. Nisei poet Suma Yagi will look at her internment through the perspective of a teenager in camp and now as an adult. Larry Matsuda, born in Minidoka internment camp, will read poems from his recent volume entitled, “A Cold Wind from Idaho” and reflect on how the camp experience influenced him via his parents and relatives. This free event takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Washington’s Miller Hall, room 301. For information call (206) 543-5401.
Ceramic artist Wanxin Zhang responds to China’s unearthed army of terra-cotta soldiers with life-size ceramics of his own. “Warhol/Mao” is just one of many contemporary responses by this artist in “Wanxin Zhang: A Ten Year Survey,” set to open at Bellevue Arts Museum on Feb. 23 through August 9. View Zhang’s art at 510 Bellevue Way N.E. or call (425) 519-0770 for more information.
“Shadows of A Fleeting World: Pictorial Photography and the Seattle Camera Club” looks at the primarily Japanese American Seattle Camera Club and the role it played in the pictorial style. Over 100 works by Seattle Camera Club members including Dr. Kyo Koike, Frank Kunishige and Iwao Matsushita and Imogene Cunningham will be displayed. This gallery is curated by Henry Chief Curator Elizabeth Brown and presented in partnership with the University of Washington Press and Special Collections at the University of Washington Libraries. UW Press will publish a book on Seattle Camera Club. Gallery owner/independent scholar David Martin and UW Libraries Visual Materials Curator Nicolette Bromberg are the authors of the UW Press book on the Seattle Camera Club. The art will be on display through May 8 at the Henry Art Gallery, UW Seattle campus, 15^th Ave. NE & NE 4lst Street. Call (206) 543-2280 or go to www.henryart.org for more information.
ACT presents a Central Heating Lab Event that features David Hsieh’s ReACT Theatre and Pratidhwani, co-producers of the Seattle debut production of “Mother in Another Language” (see preview article elsewhere in this issue) by Taniya Hossain, a new play about clashing cultures from Feb. 18 through March 6, 2011. The ACT Theatre is located at 700 Union St., Seattle. Call (206) 292-7676 or visit www.acttheatre.org or www.reacttheatre.org for further information.
Eyad Zahra’s “The Taqwacores” looks at a Pakistani American college student who falls into an unlikely group of Muslim misfits including a rag tag group of skateboarders, skinheads, queers and a girl in a burqa, all of whom embrace the hardcore Muslim punk-rock scene. The story was adapted from the novel by Michael Muhammad Knight, who served as co-director. This Seattle premiere will take place on Feb. 17 at 7 and 9 p.m. Local filmmaker Serge Gregory’s “When Herons Dream”, a meditation on the great blue heron as it moves through the seasons in the Northwest, has an equally haunting, spare soundtrack composed and performed by local musicians Susie Kozawa and Esther Sugai. This short film is screened as the opening short for another documentary entitled, “Rabbit a la Berlin” which looks at a thriving rabbit population near the Berlin Wall. What happens when the wall comes down? Find out during Feb. 18 through 24 at 7 and 9 p.m. at the Northwest Film Forum at 1515 12^th Avenue on Capitol Hill. Visit www.nwfilmforum.org for further information.
“A Life of Imitation – Ming Wong” (see review elsewhere in this issue) is a new exhibition that explores the work of an artist raised in Singapore, now based in Berlin. In 3 major installations, he explores the shifting nature of identity and belonging across cultures through performance and cinema. The guest curator is Tang Fu Kuen from the Frye Art Museum, along with Director Jo-Anne Birney Danzker who has served as coordinating curator. Showings for this exhibition starts on Feb. 27 at the Frye Art Museum, located at 704 Terry Ave., Seattle. Call (206) 622-9250 for more information or visit www.fryeart.org.
When friends of mine saw the abbreviated, edited U.S. version of John Woo’s “Red Cliff”, complaints regarding the plot and character development were plenty. In Asia, the legendary tale of the battle of the Red Cliffs has a historical resonance similar in impact to the fall of the Alamo in U.S. history. Witness for yourself, “Red Cliff: The Complete Version” which played all over Asia in a five hour version shown in two parts. Screening begins on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. (Part 1) and 9:30 p.m. (Part 2) at 321 Mercer St. at 3^rd Ave. in McCaw Hall. Call (206) 324-9996 or visit www.siff.net for more information.

Visual Arts

Local artist Romson Bustillo shows his media print collages in a group show of 10 local artists entitled “The Chair Project” now on view at the Seattle Design Center located at 5701 6th Ave. S. For details, visit www.romson.tumbir.com.
The M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery at Seattle Central Community College presents “The Majestic Brush of Master HongDuan Yang”, a showcase of brush paintings by this renowned Chinese artist. The event will take place in room 2BE2116 (across from the cafeteria) at 1791 Broadway. Call (206) 344-4379 for further details.
“Couplings: An International Juried Exhibition” features work in various media with that subject in mind. The exhibition includes work by Yun Hong Chang, Sun Kyoung Kim and Hui-YingTsai, and will run through Feb. 26. at Gallery 110 located on 110 Third Ave. S. For more information, call (206) 624-9336 or visit www.gallery110.com.
“Fresh Start” is a group show featuring members of the Puget Sound Sumi Artists Group, running through Feb. 22 at the East Shore Gallery located on 12700 S.E. 32^nd St. in Bellevue. Call (425) 747-3780 for more information.
“East Visits West” is a two-person show featuring paintings by Wen Zhenfei and Chen Xiangbo. The show runs through March 6 at tje Gunnar Nordstrom Gallery located on 800 Bellevue Way N.E. #111. Call (425) 827-2822 or visit www.gunnarnordstrom.com for more information.
“Bloom & Collapse” is the latest group show at Soil Art Collective. The show presents the collaborative work of seven pairs of artists who come together to address concepts of decay, fragmentation and decomposition. Saya Moriyasu is paired with Elise Richman, Damon Mori with Amanda Manitach and Etsuo Ichikawa with Laura Ward. Curated by Susanna Bluhm and Amanda Manitach, the event will run through Feb. 26 at 112 3^rd Ave. S., Seattle. Visit www.soilart.org for more information.
The work of Diem Chau is included in a group show entitled “The Mysterious Content of Softness”. The show brings together national and international artists in an exploration of the transformative power of fiber and its connection to the human body. Chau gives the Free First Friday Lecture on Friday, March 4. Chau’s work can be viewed through June 26 at the Bellevue Arts Museum located on 510 Bellevue Way NE. Call (425) 519-0770 or go to www.bellevuearts.org for further information.
Saya Moriyasu is part of a group show entitled “Wild/Life” that explores 12 Northwest artists’ visions of mammals, birds and sea life. A group show entitled “Together – Selections from the Permanent Collection” includes work by Seattle-born artist Frank Okada. This show takes place at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Connor through March 2. The Museum of Northwest Art is located on 121 S. First St., La Connor, WA. Call (360) 466-4446 or go to www.museumofnwart.org for further information.
Pacini Lubel Gallery’s new group show entitled “Introducing” features the work of five new artists to the gallery. The gallery includes work by ceramic sculptor Esther Shimizu and will be on view through Feb. 26 at 207 2^nd Avenue S. in Pioneer Square, Seattle. Call (206) 326-5555 or view www.pacinilubel.com for further information.
Lele Barnett, who recently curated for Wing Luke, has a group show she put together entitled “Forecast” in which she features 36 artists with the help from eight scientists. Admission is free and will run through April 9 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, located at 800 Convention Place on the second floor. For more information, call (206) 694-5000.
Seattle artist Jason Hirata tries his hand at curating a group show entitled “The Pajama Game”, the first chapter of the “NEPO: Little Treats” series at NEPO House
Gallery. View his work through Feb. 24 at the NEPO House Gallery located on 1723 Lander Street in Seattle.
“INDIGO: Laura Kina and Shelly Jyoti” is a show that features textile-based artwork exploring cross-cultural narratives. Indian artist Shelly Jyoti and US artist Laura Kina use indigo dye, Gujarat-style mirrored dazzle, Jewish tzitzit inspired tassels and traditional Indian fiber arts to tell their contemporary stories. Portland fused glass artist Kurumi Conley displays the show in the North Gallery through Feb.19 at the Artxchange Gallery on 512 First Avenue S. in Seattle. For more information, call (206) 839-0377 or visit www.artxchange.org.
The art of Tina Koyama is in the group show entitled “Connectivity” on view through April 10 at Oasis Gallery, located on 3644 Wallingford Ave. N., Seattle. Call (206) 547-5177 or visit www.oasisinseattle.com for more information.
An exhibit entitled “History of Pacific Northwest Japanese Restaurants” is on view until June 1, 2011 at the Northwest Nikkei Museum in the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington. Included in the exhibit are excerpts from interviews with restaurant owners, workers, and others who have grew up with restaurants. The exhibit will take place at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center, located at 1414 S. Weller. Call (206) 568-7114 or visit www.jcccw.org for more information.
KOBO Gallery at HIGO has a show of ceramics by Sam Scott whose functional forms are defined by simplicity. The show opens Feb. 19 and will be on view until March 6 at the KOBO Gallery at HIGO, located at 604 South Jackson St., Seattle. Call (206) 381-3000 or www.koboseattle.com for more information.
The Burke Museum mounts their first major exhibition of their international textile collection showing work from the peoples of the Americas, Asia and the Pacific Islands in “Weaving Heritage: Textile Masterpieces From the Burke Collection”. This exhibit will run trough February 27, 2012. Call (206) 543-5590 or go to www.washington.edu/burkemuseum for more information.
Recognized as one of China’s leading contemporary artists for his ability to blur the line between abstract and naturalistic art, “Wang Huaiqing: A Painter’s Painter in Contemporary China” traces the artist’s development through 23 innovative works. The art will be displayed through July 17. Smaller shows on traditional and modern Japanese woodblock print and a room of work by Northwest artists, Paul Horiuchi and George Tsutakawa will also be on display. “Zhi Lin and Z.Z. Wei – Two Contemporary Takes” features two Chinese artists based in Seattle who will talk about their work and their response to the Wang Huaiqing show, which is currently on view at the museum. Join the crowd at 7pm on Feb. 24. Lectures on Central Asia sponsored by the Gardner Center are “Central Asia: Land and Peoples on Feb. 19, “The Silk Roads: Central Asia in the Wider World” on Feb. 26 and “Crafting Culture in Soviet Central Asia: Writers, Actors and Ordinary People” on March 5. These take place at the Seattle Asian Art Museum located on 1400 Prospect in Volunteer Park, Seattle. Call (206) 654-3100 or visit www.seattleartmuseum.org for further information.
“Born Into Identity: The Asian Pacific American Adoptee Experience” recognizes 13 APA adoptee artists and oral histories from community members exploring the complexities of being an APA adoptee. This exhibit will be on view through June 19. “Sacred Seattle” is an exhibit that traces spaces, places and paths where Asian Pacific Americans both belong to and long for the sacred, and will be on view through March 20. “Home Revealed: Artists of the Chinatown-International District” remains on view until April 17, 2011. Two recent shows include the following – “Cultural Confluence: Urban People of Asian & Native American Heritages” which displays the historic legacies and contemporary lives of people who are both Asian and Native as they come together for the first time in an exhibit. The display will be on view through Sept. 18. An exhibit entitled “New Years All Year Round” looks at Asian traditions for the New Year from various Asian cultures, which will be on view through June 26. You will also have the chance to enter the Year of the Rabbit coloring contest and win travel for two on Jet Blue airlines. Go to www.wingluke.org/2011newyear for more information. Family Fun Day on Feb. 19 will have Mizu Sugimura showing participants how to “Personalize Red Envelopes” from 1 to 3 p.m. Join a panel discussion entitled “Interfaith Dialogue in an APIA Contest” from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Experience the Museum’s historic hotel tour at a discount on “First Thursday” on March 3 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with free gallery admission. For details on all of the above, go to www.wingluke.org or call (206) 623-5124.
Artists Richard Heisler and Tyler Starr share a show entitled “Tokyo Paintings & Mixed Media Works” through Feb. 26 at Cullom Gallery, located on 603 S. Main Street. Call (206) 919-8278 or visit www.cullomgallery.com for more information.
“New Gifts And Acquisitions: Collections Selections Two” is a group show with much of the featured art donated on behalf of the Safeco Art Collection and the Washington Arts Consortium. This collection iIncludes work by George and Gerard Tsutakawa and is on view through June 5 at Whatcom Museum at the Lightcatcher on 121 Prospect St., Bellingham, WA. Call (360) 778-8930 for more information.
Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama is featured in a show entitled “Daido Moriyama: Photographs from Five Decades” at Charles A. Hartman Fine Art through Feb. 26. Call (503) 287-3886 or visit www.hartmanfineart.net for more information.
“Northwest Atmospheric Ceramics” is a group show by 17 regional artists including Hiroshi Ogawa, which will be on view through April 2. Ogawa will take part in a free panel discussion on Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Gonzaga University’s Jundt Art Museum in Spokane, Washington, 502 E. Boone Ave. Call (509) 313-6613 or visit www.gonzaga.edu/jundt for details.
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art presents “The Yongsoo Huh Collection”, a cross-section of work by contemporary Korean artists. Also on exhibit is a show entitled “The Art of Japanese Buddhism” which is displayed on 1430 Jordan Lane on the University of Oregon campus. Call (541) 346-3027 or visit www.jsma.uoregon.edu for more information.
“TAKEN: FBI” is a new exhibit that examines the experiences of Japanese American families in the Portland area imprisoned by the FBI and Department of Justice shortly after the bombing at Pearl Harbor. This exhibit is on view at the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center through May 30, 2011. A series of monthly programs will be held to accompany the exhibit. For details, go to www.oregonikkei.org.
“Perimeter: We Live Here Now” is a group exhibit of foreign-born artists which includes work by Sang-ah Choi, Una Kim, Horatio Law, Akihiko Miyoshi, Motoya Nakamura, Ying Tan and others. This collaborative exhibit shows at five college galleries in the Portland area including, Marylhurst University’s Art Gym. The exhibit runs until March 20 at Marylhurst’s Art Gym. Call (503) 244-6111 or visit www.spot.pcc.edu/helzerartgallery or www.marylhurst.edu/theartgym for more information.
“Katsura: The Photography of Ishimoto Yasuhiro” is a show that showcases images of a Japanese imperial villa by one of Japan’s premiere photographers of ancient traditional buildings. The photographs will be on view through Feb. 20 at the Portland Japanese Garden, located at 611 SW Kingston Ave. Call (503) 323-1321 or visit www.japanesegarden.com/visiting/directions for more information.
Seattle artist Roger Shimomura has a show entitled “Shadows of Minidoka” running Feb. 11 through March 12 at the Lawrence Arts Center at 940 New Hampshire St. in Lawrence, Kansas. Visit www.lawrenceartscenter.org for details.

Performing Arts

Northwest Puppet Center presents the Yang Family Puppets performing a Chinese epic folktale, “Adventures of Monkey King” about a mischievous monkey with superpowers. The presentations run from March 5 through 20. Showings are at 1 and 3 p.m. on weekends. Call (800) 838-3006 or go to www.nwpuppet.org for more information.
The United Filipino Club of Seattle University presents the 17^th Annual Barrio Fiesta, “TFC: Halina at Nagsaya (The Filipino Culture: Come and Enjoy!)” at Seattle University on 9620 Stone Ave. N. Ste. 101 on Feb. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Call (805) 231-7803 or [email protected] for more details.
The Killerbees (with Bob Antolin on sax, flute and guitar) continue their weekly stand at Waid’s every Thursday at 8 p.m. for a $5 cover. Waid’s is located on 1212 E. Jefferson St., Seattle. Call (206) 328-6483 for more information. The Killerbees also have a new self-titled CD which will be available for purchase at the club.
Portland State University Center for Japanese Studies will host the only West Coast performance by the prestigious Kashu-juku Noh Theater from Kyoto, Japan, set for March 16, 2011. They will be performing one of the centerpieces of their repertoire entitled “Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi) adapted from Lay Murasaki’s “The Tale of Genji.” For details, go to www.pdx.edu/cjs.
Get ready for the Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival set for April 1 through 3. Visit www.seattlecenter.com/festival for details.

Film/Media

Benazir Bhutto was the first woman to lead a Muslim nation, Pakistan, and Duane Baughman directs a new documentary film on this fascinating woman and world leader. The film debuts on March 4 at the Varsity Theatre located on 4329 University Way N.E. and runs for one week. Go to www.bhuttothefilm.com for details or call (206) 781-5755.
The 34^th Annual Portland International Film Festival is currently screening films from around the world through Feb. 26, including new films from India, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea and Thailand. To order advance tickets, call (503) 276-4310. For more information, go to www.nwfilm.org.
Billed as “a sexy thriller”, Im Sang-Soo’s “The Housemaid” starring Cannes Festival award-winning actress Jeon Do-Yeon in the lead looks at what happens to an innocent young girl who takes a position with a rich and powerful family. The film is set to open at Landmark Theatre in Seattle on Feb. 18 for a one week run. Visit www.ifcfilms.com/films/the-housemaid.

Written Arts

The Elliott Bay Book Company now situated in their cozy new digs on Capitol Hill has readings almost every day of the week. Noted American writer Maxine Hong Kingston is back with a memoir in verse entitled “I Love a Broad Margin to My Life” (Knopf) in which she reflects on her life as she turns 65. The reading is set for Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Another event will take place with co-authors Liel Leibovitz and Matthew Miller reading from “Fortunate Sons: The 120 Chinese Boys Who Came to America, Went to School, and Revolutionized an Ancient Civilization” (W. W. Norton) on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. This story reveals how Chinese male students who studied in New England in the late-nineteenth century went back to China to help modernize a society entrenched in imperial bureaucracy. All readings at Elliott Bay unless otherwise noted. Please see www.elliottbaybook.com for more details.
“Flood” (Tia Chucha Press) is an exciting new book of poems by L.A. based Korean American poet Chiwan Choi that tells the story of an immigrant family struggling to survive under the harsh glare of today’s American reality. Choi will read in Seattle with local poet Donmee Choi at Elliott Bay Book Company on Friday, March 4 at 7 p.m. Visit www.tiachucha.com for more information.
“My Mom is a FOB (Fresh Off the Boat)” (Perigee Books) by sisters Teresa Wu and Serena Wu, will bring smile to Asian American readers. The girls take this formerly derogatory term and serve up a tribute to the way Asian mothers adapt to American culture, from the perspective of those who love them most: their children. “Scenes from an Impending Marriage – a Prenuptial Memoir” (Drawn & Quarterly Books) by Adrian Tomine is a hilarious look at the hoops couples have to jump through, just to certify their union before society. The well-known comic artist whose work has graced the covers of the New Yorker and the author of the best-selling graphic novel of culture and identity, “Shortcomings” (Drawn & Quarterly Books) is the person behind the pen.

Art News/ Opportunites

The Filipino Community of Seattle will offer free art workshops in various genre (photography, poetry and songwriting) to high school youth. Workshop dates are March 15, 22, 29, April 5 and 12. You must register by March 10, 2011 and can do so at www.fcskultura.wordpress.com or in person at the office located on 5407 Dr. MLK Way.
Seattle-raised poet/writer/professor Paisley Rekdal received the Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship. Winners get a paid year of travel and study abroad. Both Paisley and her mother Cynthia have been contributing writers to the International Examiner.
Local photographer Barry Wong (formerly with the Seattle Times) has photo cards of some of his food and produce still-life photography available for purchase. For details, go to www.barrywongphoto.com.
Zoe Donnell, curatorial coordinator at Tacoma Art Museum has been selected to take part in a curator exchange program sponsored by the Japan Foundation. Young American curators will tour Japan, visit museums/curator counterparts and give talks. Donnell curated the well received “Edo to Tacoma: Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Collection at Tacoma Art Museum” which recently closed.
American sculptor/installation artist Mel Chin, whose work usually involves history, culture and community, received a $50,000 fellowship from the non-profit organization, United States Artists (USA).
The Aspen Art Museum’s new building in downtown Aspen will be designed by noted Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban.
The Gwangju Biennale Foundation in South Korea gave its inaugural “Noon Award” in the “Emerging Artist” category to Haegue Yang.
Veteran Hong Kong action director Benny Chan will do a blockbuster update of the Jet Li film, “The Shaolin Temple”. The new version will feature some of the biggest names in Chinese film including Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse and Fann Bingbing.
South Korean Director Park Chan-Wook (“Old Boy”, Lady Vengeance”) has shot his new fantasy-horror film, Paranmanjang” entirely on an Apple smartphone.