Arts Etc.- 11/18/09 Update

Highlights

• The First Annual Slack Key Festival takes place on Nov. 22 at Town Hall from 2 – 6 p.m. With concerts and workshops from Hawaiian music masters and Ukulele virtuosos including Cyril Pahanui, Leabert Lindsay, Sonny Lim, David Kamakahi, Kunai Galdeira, Makana Donald Kaulia and Jeff Peterson. There will be an Evening Dinner/Heavy Pupu Performance on Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. There will also be workshop seminars in slack key and Ukelele on Nov. 21 as well. Cyril Pahanui will also make an appearance at Seattle Uwajimaya store (206) 624-6248 for details on Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. with a brief concert and CD signing as well as a ticket raffle giveaway for tickets to the concert at Town Hall. For details on these events, email [email protected] or call (808) 722-8575.
• Cornish College of the Arts has some interesting concerts coming up. Pianist, and Dallas Symphony Assistant Conductor Rei Hotoda presents a recital of contemporary Asian piano music on Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. Jody Diamond, one of the premiere proponents of contemporary gamelan music in America today joins the Seattle ensemble, Gamelan Pacifica for a recital of  original compositions on Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. For tickets & information, go to www.cornish.edu/music/series/.
• “Members Art History Lecture Series: Curator’s Choice” highlights a different Seattle Art Museum curator each month to speak on a subject of interest. On Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Plestcheeff Auditorium at SAM downtown, Chinese Art Curator Josh Yiu will talk on “Portraits of Bada Shanren (1626-1705): The Most Significant Chinese Paintings at SAM”. This eccentric Chinese artist combines a loose flowing brushwork with a deep psychological depth invested in his characters and creatures. Visit www.seattleartmuseum.org for details.
• Early Warning: “Cultural Transcendence is a new group show at Wing Luke Asian Museum curated by Lele Barnett that “explores the importance of technology in our modern experience and technology’s influence on contemporary installation art.” Features the work of Robert Hodgin, Eunsu Kang, Heidi Kumao, Horatio Law and Brent Watanabe. Opens Dec. 18 and on view through June 19, 2010. www.wingluke.org or call (206) 623-5124.

Visual Arts

• Opening Nov. 19 from 6- 8 p.m. and continuing on view through Dec. 22 is a new show by of ceramic sculpture and installation by UW ceramic professor Akio Takamori entitled “Europeans” in which the artists continues his wry look at world history, colonialism and how different cultures meet and collide. Expect humor and lovely handling of color, glaze and calligraphic lines. On view with a show of new photographs by Danny Lyon famous for his shots of civil rights struggles, work camps and prisons in the deep south. James Harris Gallery at 312 Second Ave. S. Hours are Tues. – Sat. from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (206) 903-6220 or visit jamesharrisgallery.com.
• There’s a dark post-apocalyptic humor lurking in Elizabeth Jameson’s new show entitled “post-bellum” which is on view through the month. One image has a mother in child posing in white with gasmasks attached. The mother’s white dress is dotted with a motif of red crosses. At Featherston Gallery at 818 East Pike St. Hours are Tues. – Sat. from 11 – 5 p.m. (206) 322-9440 or www.feathersongallery.com.
• The delicate poetic thread of Diem Chau’s stichery weaves its’ way through narratives of family and friends in a new show of her fabric/ceramic creations entitled “New Work”  paired with the “Accumulations”, new paintings  of poetic layering/de-constructions of collapsed houses by Thuy-van Vu (her work currently on view at Wing Luke Asian Museum as well)  on view through Nov. 21. At G. Gibson Gallery located at 300 South Washington St. Call (206) 587-4033 or visit www.ggibsongallery.com. Chau’s work is also featured in the Oct. issue of American Craft Magazine and in a group show “Over and Under: A Show of Stitches” curated by Jenny Hart at Austin’s Yard Dog Gallery through Dec. 6. http://overandundershow/blogspot.com.
• Meiro Koizumi is a contemporary Japanese artist who will be in residency in Puget Sound in the fall. Viewers have a chance to see various aspects of his work around the area as curated by independent curator Yoko Ott. The show at Hedreen Gallery/Lee Center for the Arts at Seattle University is a career retrospective of his video work on view through Jan. 9.  901 – 12^th Ave. Call (206) 296-2244. This show runs concurrently with a new installation the artist is contemplating on Japanese American agriculture and the internment experience entitled “The Corner of Sweet and Bitter”. On view from Nov. 10 – Jan., with an opening event on Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. At Open Satellite in Bellevue located at 989 – 112^th Ave. NE #102. (425) 454-7355. In addition, he gives an Artist Lecture on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at Henry Art Gallery in the auditorium. For complete details, go to http://opensatellite.org/exhibition-2009-11MeiroKoizumi.
• “So Long” is a multi-media installation by Brent Watanabe that explores computer controlled generated animations, robotics and sound. Artist talk on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. On view through Dec. 30. At Jack Straw Productions at 4361 Roosevelt Way NE (206) 634-0919 or www.jackstraw.org.
• KOBO at Higo presents the following. Toshi Asai from Nagoya, Japan shows oils, pencil on paper and mixed media, “Sakka Series I” in which the artist acknowledges Japanese 20^th century writers who shaped her life. Through Nov. 29. Holiday Ikebana Workshop with Megumi Schacher takes place on Nov. 22 from noon – 2 p.m. Advance registration is requested. Ken Taya returns with Enfu, his “Hybrid Nippop” work portraying a parallel world where both Japanese and American worlds co-exist. Dec. 3 – Jan. 3, 2010 with an opening reception set for Dec. 3 from 6 – 8 p.m. Ceramic artist John Dix now based in Japan will be showing his wood-fired ceramics  during Jan./Feb. of 2010. 604 S. Jackson. (206) 381-3000 or [email protected].
• The work of Seattle photographer Carina del Rosario is included in “A Community Art Show” featuring the work of emerging Seattle artists.  Show on view through Dec. 11^th. Hosted by South Seattle Community College Art Gallery – Brockey Student Center at 6000 – 16^th Ave. SW (206) 764-5337 or visit student [email protected]/art.html.
• ArtXchange Gallery  presents  on view through Dec. 31, gouache on paper and paintings on wood panel by Bui Vong Khanh. The exhibit traces the evolution of Kkanh’s work from post-graduate to the present through his transition from various media. The artist has a playful take on traditional and modern motifs of Vietnamese culture.  512 – 1^st Ave. S. (206) 839-0377. www.artxchange.org. Also during Nov./Dec., the gallery has mini-shows of lacquer paintings by their artists at The Teacup at 2128 Queen Anne Ave. N., The Signature at 530 1^st Ave. N., Red Square Yoga at 1911 – 10^th Ave. W. and Ummelina Int. Dayspa at 1525 Fourth Ave.
• “Surface, Dot, Line: Puget Sound Sumi Artists” is a new group show opening Nov. 21 from 5 – 8 p.m. and continues on view through Jan. 17 of 1010. Columbia City Gallery at 4864 Rainier Ave. S. (206) 760-9843.
• Northwest Fine Woodworking presents their 30^th Annual Box & Container Show. On view through Nov. (206) 625- 0542.
• 28^th Annual Ayame Kai Holdiay Craft Fair takes place Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Blaine Memorial Methodist Church at 3001 24^th Ave. S. (425) 827-4930.
• “Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition: Indigenous Voices Reply” juxtaposes historic objects and photographs from the 1909 Exposition with contemporary artwork by Native artists exploring how the representation of indigenous people and cultures has changed over 100 years. It should be noted that indigenous people from the Philippines were in the original 1909 show.  On view through Nov. 29.  Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington. 17^th Ave. NE and NE 45^th. (206) 543-5590 or www.burkemuseum.org.
• “Layers” is the title of a show by glass artist Boyd Sugiki remains on view through Jan. 3. This Northwest artist created a series inspired by Istanbul’s skyline of historic domes and minarets alongside modern buildings. Museum of Northwest Art at 121 South First St. in La Connor, Wash. Call (360) 466-4446 or visit www.museumofnwart.org.
• Seattle Asian Art Museum has on view until Feb. 21, 2010, “Transforming Traditions: Japanese & Korean Art Since 1800” and “Live Long and Prosper: Auspicious Motifs in East Asian Art”. Mimi Gates, former director of SAM and now the museum’s Director Emerita, inaugurates the new Center for Asian Art and Ideas at SAAM with a “Saturday University” series of lectures by professors who specialize in different aspects of Asian Studies from art to history to political science. Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m.  The topic is “The Troubled Spirit of Modern Japan” by Kenneth Pyle on Nov. 21 and “What’s Art and What’s Not in the History of Japan” by Cynthia Bogel on Dec. 5. Log on to www.seattleartmuseum.org/calendar/calendar.asp for details and call (206) 654-3121 for tickets. 1400 East Prospect in Volunteer Park. (206) 654-3100 or log on to www.seattleartmuseum.org.
• Wing Luke Asian Museum – “Across the Spectrum: Stories from Queer Asian Pacific America” will be on view through Feb. 14 of 2010 in the Boeing Company Community Portrait Gallery.  “Parallel Lines: 8 Contemporary Seattle Artists”, a group show curated by Tracey Fugami through Nov. 29. The show draws comparisons between artists Tram Bui, Mark Takamichi Miller, Jason Huff, Akio Takamori, Patti Warashina, Saya Moriyasu, Thuy-Van Vu and Joseph Park. Just opened is “Asian Voices”, a YouthCAN exhibit.  “Animation & Comics” opens Aug. 15 from 4 – 6 p.m. in KidPLACE. A related activity is “Exhibits Exposed: Animation & Comics” in which you’ll see how images can have a life of their own in the comic world.   “Yellow Terror: The Collection and Paintings of Roger Shimomura” is ongoing through April 18, 2010 in the Special Exhibition Hall. The Family Day activity for Nov. 21 from 1 – 3 p.m. is Mizu Sugimura who will demonstrate how to create origami-like crafts inspired by the rice harvest festival in Japan. More info. At www.wingluke.org.
• The Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) features the exhibit, “The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest on view till Jan. 16, 2020. 2700 – 24^th E. (206) 324-1126.
• The work of Patsy Surh O’Connell, Deng Juo and Fumiko Kimura is included in a group show entitled “Ink Connection: China, Korea and Japan” at the Gallery at Tacoma Community College through Dec. 15.
• What does graffiti inscribed on canvas beds by American military on ships heading towards Vietnam during the war era tell us about that time in history? Find out by seeing “Marking Time: Voyage to Vietnam”, a new show opening Sept. 17 and on view through Dec. 13. Washington State History Museum. 1911 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma. (253) 272-3500 or www.washingtonhistory.org.
• Asian Pacific Cultural Center of Tacoma presents workshops on Korean culture.  “Learn the Korean Alphabet in Two Hours” on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. (253) 226-2742 or visit www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org.
• “Requiem: By the Photographers Who Died in Vietnam and Indochina” is a pictorial documentation of the history of the Vietnam War from the early 1950s through to the fall of Saigon in 1975. An international traveling exhibit that makes its’ Northwest debut at this museum. With a series of lectures and films. Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, Oregon. 700 State St. www.willamette.edu/museum_of_art.
• Asia Society Museum in New York City presents the first U.S. museum survey of contemporary art from Pakistan entitled “Hanging Fire-Contemporary Art from Pakistan” now through Jan. 3, 2010. 55 works by 15 artists in various media. Curated by Salima Hashmi. For details, go to [email protected].

Performing Arts

• Seattle Pro Musica, a Northwest contemporary choir opens their new season with a concert entitled “Eastern Lights – Music from Asia and the Pacific” with traditional songs and new choral music from Japan, Korea, china, India, Southeast Asia, new Zealand, and Australia. Family matinee for children and families on Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. and a longer concert the SAM night at 7:30 p.m. Both at Town Hall at 1119 Eighth Ave. in Seattle. Two more concerts on Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Chapel at Bastyr University at 14500 Juanita Drive NE in Kenmore. (206) 781-2766 or visit  seattlepromusica.org.
• REACT Theatre presents “Last of The Boys”, local playwright Steven Dietz’s look at Vietnam veterans who must confront the past. Sunday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. $5 donation at the door. Elliott Bay Book Company in Pioneer Square. For reservations, log on to www.REACTtheatre.org.
• Violinist Andrew Sumitani performs as guest soloist at the Opening Gala Event of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Daniels Recital Hall at 811 5^th Ave. (800) 838-3006 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com.

Film/Media

• “Aoki” is a documentary film that chronicles the life of Richard Aoki (1938 – 2009),  a Japanese American who became one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party. View the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOB-mzSnK-k.
• Opening Nov. 25 is a new martial arts action film entitled “Ninja Assassin” with Korean dancer/actor Rain in the starring role.

Written Arts

• Award-winning poet Marilyn Chin takes the feminist edge and biting humor found in her poetry and hones it to a razor sharp focus in her new book of prose entitled “Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen” (Norton & Co.), a book of short stories that tell the modern fable of two Chinese local food delivery girls who sell bad Americanized Chinese food to homes throughout Southern California. Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company. 101 South Main. (206) 624-6600 or visit www.elliottbaybook.com.
• Philip Lee, formerly of Lee & Low Children’s Book Publishing Company, has started a new foundation called “Readers to Eaters – food literacy from the ground up.” Their aim is to provide books to the community that will give us a basic knowledge of where our food comes from so we can make better food choices and make a more positive impact on our body, mind, community and the world. Plans include displays around area events and eventually, a permanent bookstore.  For details, email [email protected] or call (206) 849-1962.
• Author Louis Fiset will discuss and sign copies of his new book “Camp Harmony – Seattle’s Japanese Americans and the Puyallup Assembly Center” (University of Illinois Press) on Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. Wing Luke Asian Art Museum at 719 S. King. Free. (206) 623-5124.
• Noted Chinese American prose writer Ha Jin is back with another strong collection of short stories entitled “A Good Fall: Stories by Ha Jin” (Pantheon Books) that looks at Chinese American characters facing life in unusual circumstances in America. Set for national release on Nov. 24 with a book tour to follow.
• “Indian Cinema in the Time of Celluloid – From Bollywood to the Emergency” (Indiana University Press) is a new book by Ashish Rajadhyaksha.

Arts News/Opportunities

• Artist Trust continues to provide Washington State artists with news of opportunities, events, jobs, space, and resources. They are also seeking donations of art from area artists for their annual fundraiser. There will be free grant writing workshops for artists of all disciplines coming to Ellensburg, Hoquiam, Seattle and Tacoma. The deadline is Dec.7 for the next EDGE Program for writers. Uninsured or under insured low-income artists can receive vouchers up to $150 for healthcare at Seattle’s Country Doctor Community Clinic. Artist Trust’s 2010 Benefit Art Auction takes place Feb. 20, 2010 at Seattle Center. For more information on all this and more, log on to www.artisttrust.org.
• Artists Ellen Ito and Yuki Nakamura were nominated for The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation’s 2009 Foundation of Art Award.
• Bellevue Arts Museum issues a call for artists for the 2010 Bam Biennial entitled “Clay Throwdown!”.  Northwest artists (AK, BC, ID, MT, OR & WA) working in clay are encouraged to apply. Deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2009. For details, go to www.bellevuearts.org.
• Congratulations to Seattle ceramic artist and former UW Ceramics Professor Patti Warashina who received the 2009 Regis Masters Series Award from Northern Clay Center and Minneapolis Institute of Art.
• A three-week residency for playwrights at Sundance has a deadline of Dec. 12, 2009. Visit www.sundance.org for details.
• SIFF has a deadline of Jan. 4, 2010 for submissions to its’ festival. Call (206) 464-5830 or visit www.siff.net for details.
• NEA’s Literature Fellowships: Translation Projects has a deadline of Jan. 7, 2010. Visit www.arts.gov/grants/apply/Lit.Translation/index.html for details.
• Over 14 Asian American women artists are represented at this year’s celebration of craftswomen event taking place in the Bay Area on Nov. 28 & 29 and Dec. 5 & 6. Hebrst Pavillion at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Open 10 – 5 p.m. For tickets, call (650) 615-6838 or visit www.celebrationofcraftswomen.org.
• The Friends of International Children’s Park seek professional artist(s) to submit an application for an opportunity to design a public art piece to be installed in the redeveloped International Children’s Park located on 7^th Ave. S. and S. Lane St. located in the Chinatown/ID community. For details, log on to www.friendsoficp.org or call (206) 838-8721.

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