January 22, 2019—Arts Etc.

 

Visual Arts

Step Forward is a weekend event in which you can experience the new tunnel, say goodbye to the Alaskan Way Viaduct and hello to the future waterfront. Included is a new public art installation by local artist/educator Minh Carrico. Feb. 2 & 3, 2019. For details, try 99stepforward.com or [email protected] or call 1-888-298-5463.

Oregon artist Miles Inada is in a group show entitled “From Ignorance to Wisdom” on view from Jan. 25 – March 16, 2019. Schneider Museum of Art at  555 Indiana St. at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. 541-552-6245 or try sma.sou.edu.

Seattle Central Community College’s M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery, Pinoy Words Expressed Kultura Arts and the Filipino American National Historical Society will host “Aming mga Pangitain” (Our Visions), an art exhibit featuring Northwest artists Raphael Laigo, Lisa Castillano Szilassy, Jeanneatte Tiffany, Sam Rodrick Roxas-Chua and Beija Flor. Feb. 4 – Feb. 28, 2019. An opening reception will be hild on Wed., Feb. 6 from 5 – 7pm in the gallery. A group poetry reading by Sam Roderick Roxas-Chua, Desiree Gomez and Louie Vital will take place as well as a concert of courting songs from the heartlands and barrios of the Philippines as performed by Roger Rigor and the Barriotiques. Both reception and exhibit are free to the public. The gallery is located inside Seattle Central Community College across from the dining hall. 1701 Broadway. Gallery # and website are 206-934-4379 or http://seattlecentral.edu/artgallery/. For additional information, call 206-696-1114 or email [email protected].

“Open When You Forget”, the title taken from the artist’s eight year old daughter’s note to herself is the name of the show by local multi-media artist Tuan Nguyen on view through Jan. 26, 2019 at the Specialist Gallery. Open on Saturdays from 12 – 4pm. 300 Washington St. Go to https://specialistgallery for details.

The hand-cut paper works of Lauren Iida are on view in the North Gallery of ArtXchange Gallery through Jan. 26, 2019. 512 First Ave. S. 206-839-0377 or try [email protected]

“Sanctuary: Design for Belonging” looks at dozens of ideas from architects and designers on how their profession could help support immigrants and refugees. The show runs through Feb. 23, 2019. Mayumi Tsutakawa, one of the research writers for this exhibit will lead a tour of the show on Jan. 24, 2019. AIA Seattle at 1010 Western Ave. 206-496-4278.

“PERSON OF INTEREST” is the title of a group show that features a variety of interpretations and mediums focusing on the human figure. Includes work by artists Carina A. del Rosario, Jim Kurihara, Miya Sukune and many others.  The show is curated by June Sekiguchi and remains on view through Feb. 8, 2019. At University House Wallingford, 4400 Stone Way N. in Seattle

“Yahaw – Together We Lift The Sky” is a year-long indigenous community-based project culminating in the inaugural exhibition at Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’s ARTS at King Street Station which opens in Jan., 2019.  “Yahaw” will feature the work of 200+ Indigenous creative at over 20 sites across Seattle and beyond. Curated by Tracy Rector, Asia Tail and Satpreet Kahlon. Learn more at Yehawshow.com.

Hosekibako is JCCCW’s (Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington) thrift store and Japanese Resale Shop. It’s the perfect place to pick up Japanese arts & crafts at affordable prices. Items are 100% community donated and selection is constantly updated. Open Th., Fri. & Sat. from 10 am – 3pm. It is located in the East Building on the JCCCW campus. If interested in donating, call in advance at 206-568-7114 or email [email protected]. 1414 South Weller.

For fans of Seattle photographer Dean Wong, the ongoing exhibit of his work at Tai Tung restaurant has just been changed  with a new round of work by the photographer, himself. So the next time you’re there ordering a bowl of noodles, look up and you’ll see a Dean Wong photograph. 655 S. King St. in the CID. 206-622-7372.

A  JCCCW Exhibition entitled “Genji Mihara: An Issei Pioneer” is  ongoing. Mihara was an Issei first-generation Japanese immigrant leader who helped to build Japanese culture and community in Seattle. Open M – F from 10am – 5pm. Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington is at 1414 S. Weller St. Free. For details, go jcccw.org.

A non-profit, the Portland Chinatown History Foundation has opened the new Portland Chinatown Museum to the public. A new version of “Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland’s Historic Chinatowns”, an enormously popular national exhibit held at Oregon Historical Society two years ago will be permanently installed in Dec., 2018 followed by a gala celebration. The museum hopes to stir up interest in preserving what’s left of the community as gentrification strips away vestiges of the original community.    127 NW 3rd Ave. 503-224-0008.

Asia Pacific Cultural Center has a show every month of a local Asian American artist every month in their gallery.4851 South Tacoma Way in Tacoma. 253-383-3900  or asiapacificculturalcenter.org.

Seattle Art Museum has the following – “Pure Amusements: Chinese Scholar Culture and Emulators”, an installation of Chinese works ranging from prints to sculpture and furnishings to ceramics. The focus is on objects created for, and enjoyed during the intentional practice of leisure. Ongoing.  “Noble Splendor: Art of Japanese Aristocrats” is on view through March 3, 2019 on the 3rd floor  John McCone Gallery. It explores how the imperial court nobility and the military elite significantly shaped their country’s art history.   “Walkabout:The Art of Dorothy Napangardi” opens May 5, 2018 and is ongoing. Third Floor Galleries. This Aboriginal artist was born in the Tanami Desert of Australia. Her work is a spiritual map of walking with her family across ancestral land. “Peacock in the Desert: The Royal Arts of Jodhpur, India”  remains on view through Jan. 21, 2019. Seattle Art Museum is located at 1300 First Ave. 206-654-3210 or try www.seattleartmuseum.org.

A new series of “Conversations with Curators” (for SAM members only) takes place on Wednesdays from Jan. 9 – June 19, 2019 at Seattle Art Museum downtown. Doors open at 6:30pm with talks beginning at 7pm. In the SAM auditorium. First in the series are the following – Feb. 20 brings Japanese/Korean curator Xiaojin Wu who looks at “The Journey of a Korean Royal Seal” and the issues of collecting and provenance. March 20 brings Deputy Director and Curator of European Painting & Sculpture Chiyo Ishikawa and Chief Conservator Nicholas Dorman who will look at three women artists and what they reveal in “There is Also, as in All Gangs, A Woman”.

Henry Art Gallery has a group show entitled “Between Bodies” through April 29, 2019. It includes sculpture, augmented reality, video, and sound-based works that delve into intimate exchanges and entwined relations between human and more-than-human bodies within contexts of ongoing ecological change. Candace Lin and Patrick Staff are among the participating artists. Located on the UW Seattle campus at 15th Ave. NE + NE 4lst Street. 206-543-2280 or try henryart.org.

Pacific Bonsai Museum shakes up this Japanese tradition with LAB (Living Art of Bonsai), an experimental collaborative for bonsai innovation This project is a re-sequencing in the order of influence between the bonsai artist, ceramicist and stand maker. The project kicks off in 2018 and continues through 2020. A video trailer from a film about this new process can be viewed at http://www.bonsaimirai.com. For more information, go to http://www.pacificbonsaimuseum.org. The Pacific Bonsai Museum is at 2515 S. 336th St. in Federal Way, WA. 206-612-0026 for information.

Portland Art Museum has the following –Sara Roby championed realism and works of art founded in the principles of form and design.  A group show entitled “Modern American Realism: Highlights from the Smithsonian’s Sara Roby Foundation Collection” includes the work of Yasuo Kuniyoshi and many other great American artists and it remains on view through April 28, 2019. “The Map Is Not The Territory” on view until May 5, 2019 is a reconsideration of the art of the northwest region. This group show includes the work of  Rob Rhee and Henry Tsang among others. It covers the Eastern edge of the Pacific including Oregon, Wasshington,Vancouver, BC and Alaska. Curated by Grace Kook-Anderson. View a new body of work by Portland-based artist Avantika Bawa as part of PAM’s “APEX” series. Looking at a singular Portland architectural structure, Bawa presents her ongoing series of drawings, prints and paintings of Veterans Memorial Coliseum. On view through Feb. 10, 2019. “Three Masters of Abstraction – Hagiwara Hideo, Ida Shoichi And Takahashi Rikio” looks at some Japanese modern abstract artists. Through May 5, 2019. 1219 S.W. Park Ave. 503-226-2811 or try [email protected].

KOBO  at Higo at 604 South Jackson features many small arts & crafts/textile shows and activities inspired by Asia or work by Asian American artists. There is another branch of KOBO on Capitol Hill at 814 E. Roy St. 206-726-0704.

New and recent shows /activities at the The Wing   include the following – “Blast Off To Beyond” is the new KidPLACE exhibit which explores the field of aerospace and the Asian Pacific Americans that play a huge role in space exploration and technology. On view through  Jan. 6, 2019. “Lore Re-Imagined: Shadows of Our Ancestors” is curated by Chieko Phillips. It brings together three artists who make work that engages the cultural traditions of previous generations. Satpreet Kahlon uses the embroidery and textile techniques passed on by her mother and grandmother to create soft works with strong cultural subtexts. Alex Anderson uses his ceramic studies in China to probe the moral and physical decay behind seemingly flawless facades. Megumi Shauna Arai’s “Unnamed Lake” uses sashiko (Japanese hand-stiched embroidery) to reflect on the physical, mental and emotional applications of mending. Remains on view  through April 14, 2019. “Wham! Bam! Pow! – Cartoons, Turbans & Confronting Hate” opens May 4, 2018 and remains on view through Feb. 24, 2019. This is an exhibition of work by New York-based cartoonist Vishavjit Singh who wields art and humor to fight intolerance and challenge stereotypes. “A Dragon Lives Here”, part 4 of the ongoing Bruce Lee exhibition series has just opened. This concluding part hones in on Bruce Lee’s Seattle roots and how this region played a key role in shaping Lee and his groundbreaking career.   Toddler Story Time set for Thursdays at 11am always has events centered around a kid’s book and an art activity afterwards.   A new addition to The Wing’s daily Historic Hotel Tour is “APT 507” which is the story of Au Shee, one Chinese immigrant woman who helped build Seattle’s Chinatown. Her living room is interactive with objects meant to be felt, opened  and experienced.  NOW let’s look at future shows The Wing is planning this fall and into 2019. “Worlds Beyond Here: The Expanding Universe of APA Science Fiction” is a show that remains on view through Sept. 15, 2019. From onscreen actors to behind-the-scenes writers, creators, artists and animators, learn about the impact Asian Pacific Americans have had and continue to have in science fiction. A mix of literary and pop culture works helps viewers to see how science fiction reflects the times they were written in. It addresses issues related to identity, immigration and race, technology, morality and the human condition. Curated by Mikala Woodward. Includes work by Tamiko Thiel, Simon Kono, June Sekigiuchi, Stasia Burrington, relics from George Takei’s Sulu character on Star Trek, clips & stills from the film, Arrival” based on Bellevue writer Ted Chiang’s story and much more. A group show tentatively titled “Open Housing” shows how community members across the Central Area, Chinatown-ID and Southeast Seattle gather to explore how racial restrictions on where people could live shaped the Seattle we know today and set a vision for those neighborhoods for the next 50 years. March 8, 2019 – Feb. 16, 2020 in the New Dialogues Initiative area. Carina del Rosario curates an exhibit entitled “Wide Angle/Close up: A Self Portrait of the Asian Pacific Islander American Community” from May 10, 2019 – April 19, 2020. Includes photography, video, and photo-based installations by photojournalists that document the community from the inside out. Set for the George Tsutakawa Gallery. “Chinatown in the 1970s” recreates Seattle’s Chinatown in the 1970’s and explores the values and customs that continue to shape the neighborhood today. July 20, 2019 – Jan. 5, 2020 in the KidPLACE Gallery. The Museum is located at 719  South King St. (206) 623-5124 or  visit www.wingluke.org. Closed Mondays. Tuesday – Sunday from 10am – 5pm. First Thursday of each month is free from 10am – 8pm. Third Saturday of each month is free from 10am – 8pm.

Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park is now closed for what is projected to be a renovation and extension that will take several years.

“Key to the Collection” is a group show that opened Dec. 22, 2018 and it lets TAM show off some of the treasured gifts from their collection including their legacy of Japanese woodblock prints and various other items.  “Places to call Home: Settlements in the West“ is a group show through Feb. 10, 2019 that includes representations of Western cities throughout their history and development featuring immigrant or immigrant-descended artists such as Kenjiro Nomura and Mian Situ. Familiar Faces & New Voices: Surveying Northwest Art”  stays on view through the summer of 2019. This group show is a chronological walk through of Northwest art history, illustrated with the works of noted artists from each time period as well as lesser-known but just as important figures. Different works will be displayed throughout the run of this show. Includes the work of Patti Warashina, Roger Shimomura, Joseph Park, Alan Lau (full disclosure, that’s me)  and many others. Tacoma Art Museum at 1701 Pacific Ave. 253-272-4258 or email [email protected] or go to www.TacomaArtMuseum.org.

Threshold Gallery at Mithun shows the work of Phirak Suon & Jacob Foran in a show entitled “3D Printed Ceramics” in which they strive to straddle the fine line between sculpture, pottery and décor. On view through  Feb. 5, 2019. 1201 Alaskan Way #200. 206-623-3344 or email [email protected].

“Land of Joy And Sorrow: Japanese Pioneers of the Yakima Valley” is an ongoing exhibit that traces the story of the Japanese families who settled in the Yakima valley. Yakima Valley Museum at 2105 Tieton Dr. in Yakima, WA. 509-248-0747.

Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center presents the following – “Oregon Nikkei: Reflections of an American Community – ongoing. Also A’misa Chiu shows her watercolor paintings in a show entitled “mirror images/mere images: (re)remembering the generations through family photographs” on view through Feb. 3, 2019. The exhibit is based on photos of her family and includes two images per generation.  Beginning this year, visitors can see artifacts of the collection up close as the stacks will be open to see as the staff does filing. 121 NW Second Ave. in Portland. 503-224-1458 or go to www.oregonnikkeir.org.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene has the following – “Reframing the Fragments: The Best We could Do” is on view through Feb. 17, 2019. It includes works made since 2000 by artists from the Vietnamese diaspora such as Binh Danh, Dinh Q. Le and Ann Lee. Embodies the complex sensations related to remembering and forgetting, tradition and innovation and trying to make sense of fragments of memory and history. “Graceful Fortitude: The Spirit of Korean Women” is on view through May 5, 2019. It includes art created by, for and/or about Korean women in all media from the twelfth to the twenty-first century. “Reflections of the Cosmic Web: Intricate Patterns in Daoist Art” remains on view through April 7, 2019. “Vibrance and Serenity: Art of Japanese No Traditional Theatre is on view through August, 2019. It covers the history and performance of No theatre using selected prints by Tsukioka Kogyo (1869 – 1927). 1430 Johnson Lane in Eugene, Oregon. 541-346-3027.

Vancouver Art Gallery –  “Guo Pei: Couture Beyond” is the first Canadian exhibition devoted to the work of China’s preeminent couturiere.  On view through Jan. 20, 2019. This mid-career survey features more than forty complete looks from Pei’s most iconic runways from 2006 to 2017. Her work combines contemporary aesthetics, production methods and materials with ancient tradition, evoking Chinese history and mythology in her craft techniques, fabric selection and imagery. Organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery  in collaboration with SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film curated by Diana Freundl, Associate Curator, Asian Art and Stephanie Rebick, Associate Curator. Vancouver Art Gallery is at 750 Hornby St. in Vancouver, BC Canada. 604-662-4719 or vanartgallery.bc.ca.

Z Gallery Arts presents Ran Zhou’s “The Diary of Destroying a Map” which looks into the artist’s attempt to see the obscurity of the present through the gap between two incomplete cultures, histories and self-resistance. On view through Jan. 31, 2019. 102-1688 W. 1st Ave. 604-742-2001. Vancouver, BC Canada. Go to zgalleryarts.com for details

Nikkei National Museum presents the following – The museum  has numerous online exhibits as well as offsite exhibits. Check their website for details. The Nikkei National Museum is at 6688 Southoaks  Crescent in Burnaby. 604-777-7000 or go to nikkeiplace.org.

Chinese Cultural Centre Museum has the ongoing exhibit “Generation to Generation – History of Chinese Canadians in British Columbia.” 555 Columbia St. Vancouver, BC. 604-658-8880.  Admission by donation.

An ongoing exhibit entitled “Call for Justice: Fighting for Japanese Canadian Redress (1977-1988)” is on view at Nanaimo Museum at 100 Museum Way in Nanaimo, Canada. 250-753-1821 or go to nanaimomuseum.ca.

Asian Art Museum, San Francisco has the following. Coming soon  to the Larkin St. steps in front of the museum is a giant white sculpture that turns a puppy into the size of an elephant. “Your Dog” will be waiting for you and your selfie. Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s style blends cute, creepy and vulnerable into an appealing blend.  “Kimono Refashioned” is a major exhibition on the evolution of the Japanese kimono created by the Museum in collaboration with the Kyoto Costume Institute. It runs from Feb. 8, 2019 – May 5, 2019. 200 Larkin St. 415-581-3500.

“Islam and the Classical Heritage” is the current show on view at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. On view  through Jan. 27, 2019. Located in Lincoln Park at 100 – 34th Ave. 415-750-3600.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) presents the following – “Art And China After 1989: Theater of the World”. Bracketed by the conflicts associated with Tiananmen Square in 1989 and the celebratory moment of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, this survey of Chinese contemporary art looks at the bold movements that anticipated, chronicled and agitated for the sweeping social transformation that brought China to the center of the global conversation. On view through Feb. 24, 2019. 151 Third St. 415-357-4000 or try  [email protected].

“Then They Came For Me” is a group show of black and white photography that documents the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. It includes work by Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake and many others as well as videos, drawings by Mine Okubo and documentary material of the era.  Organized by Alphawood Exhibitions of Chicago, the show has also shown at ICP in New York. A Bay Area version of this show will be on view Jan. 18 – May 27, 2019 at the “Futures Without Violence” Building located in The Presidio at 100 Montgomery St.

LACMA or Los Angeles County Museum of Art  has “The Jeweled Isle: Art from Sri Lanka” through June 23, 2019. This is the first comprehensive survey of Sri Lankan art organized by an American museum. 5905 Wilshire Blvd. 323-857-6010.

Ai Weiwei has new shows opening in Los Angeles. His first solo institutional show in the area is at Marciano Art Foundation’s Theater Gallery through March 3, 2019. The main piece here is entitled “Life Cycle” and looks like an inflated raft crammed with human figures with animal heads of the Chinese zodiac meticulously crafted in bamboo using Chinese kite-making techniques by craftspeople. It reflects his concern with the global refugee crisis. 4357 Wilshire Blv. 424-204-7555  or try www.marcianoartfoundation.org.

The Broad has had a Yayoi Kusama infinity room entitled “The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away” in their permanent collection for some time. Now they have added a second one entitled “Longing For Eternity” to their collection. Visitors can see it on view beginning March 17, 2018. For tickets, go to [email protected].

The Japanese American National Museum has the following shows  – “Kaiju vs heroes: Mark Nagata’s Journey through the World of Japanese Toys” feature artist Mark Nagata’s monster’s and superheroes doing battle in an exhibit sure to captivate little and big kids everywhere. On view  through March 24, 2019. Limited edition facsimiles of characters in this show fashioned in the sofubi (soft vinyl) method in Japan will be on sale in the gift shop. “Common Ground: The Heart of Community.” This overview exhibit of Japanese American history is ongoing.100 N. Central Ave. in Los Angeles. 213-625-0414 or go to http://www.janm.org.

The Huntington Library Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is home to The Garden of Flowing Fragrance (Liu Fang Yuan), one of the largest Chinese-style gardens outside China in the Suzhou style. 1151 Oxford Rd. in San Marino, CA. 626-405-2100.

The USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena is one of the few U.S. institutions dedicated to the arts and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands. It closed its 1924 building for more than a year for a seismic retrofit and a makeover of its galleries. The museum has now re-opened to the public. 46 N. Los Robles Ave. 626-449-2742 or email [email protected].

The Los Angeles Art Show returns to the LA Convention Center Jan. 23 – 27, 2019. For its 24th year, the event will have a special focus on ink painting from the Pacific Rim including work by the late  Japanese legend, Yu-ichi Inoue and contemporary works by South Korean abstract landscape artist Chuni Park. Other artists represented from China and Japan include Bian Hung, Li Huichang, Fan Peng, Li Zhihong, Yu Qiping, Shiro Tsujimura, Morihiro Hosokawa, Mizuho Koyama, Reiko Tsunashima, Shoen Tominaga and Miwako Nagaoka. For details, try www.LAArtShow.com.

“Chiura Obata: An American Modern” is the first retrospective of this noted Bay area artist whose work reflected the glories of the American landscape from the Grand Canyon to Yosemite. His influence could also be felt at UC Berkeley where he had a distinguished teaching career. He also helped found art schools in internment camps during WWII.  Curated by ShiPu Wang with a catalogue. The exhibition travels to the following sites. Jan. 18 – March 10, 2019 at Okayama Prefecture Museum of Art in Okayama, Japan (the artist’s hometown), June 23 – Sept. 29, 2019 at Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento.

Denver Art Museum  has the following – Next in a series of exhibitions featuring contemporary artists that the museum feels should have fuller exposure in the region in the Logan Gallery and FuseBox in the Hamilton Building’s fourth floor features work by Native American visual artist Julie Buffalohead and Japan-based conceptual artist Shimabuku. Both artists use the depiction of animals as a vehicle to explore both familiar and unfamiliar narratives related to their personal heritage and the world around them. Buffalohead uses metaphors, iconography and storytelling narratives to describe the emotional and subversive American Indian cultural experience. Shimabuku showcases a video entitled “do snowmonkeys remember snow mountains?” in which a group of Japanese snow monkeys are transported from their natural habitat of snow-capped Japanese mountains to a Texas desert sanctuary. Shimabuku uses these Texas primates as a surrogate for humans to explore ideas of migration, environmental adaptation and memory. Featured at the 57th  Venice Biennale in 2017. Both installations  on view through Jan. 20, 2019. 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway in Denver, CO. Call 720-865-5000 or go to www.denverartmuseum.org.

The Freer/Sackler Gallery on the Smithsonian Mall shows you how religion and art mix in “Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia through Nov. 29, 2020. 202-633-1000 or go to FreerSackler.si.edu for details.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has the following – “Seeing the Divine: Pahari Paintings of North India” through July 21, 2019.  “The Poetry of Nature: Edo Paintings from the Fishbein-Bender Collection” through Jan. 21, 2019. Coming Nov. 19, 2018 – Oct. 27, 2019 is  a major sculpture exhibition from the 18th & 19th century era in the Pacific Islands entitled “Atea: Nature And Divinity In Polynesia.”1000 Fifth Ave. New York, New York. Go to metmuseum.org for details.

The Met Breuer uncorks a retrospective that looks at the possibilities and history of large-scale abstraction. “Epic Abstraction: Pollock To Herrera”  Includes Inoue Yuichi’s ink splattered works and paintings by Gutai member Kazuo Shiraga. Opens Nov. 28, 2018. Go to metmuseum.org for details.

The Japan Society presents a retrospective on the work of photographer “Yasumasa Morimura: Ego Obscura” opening Oct. 12, 2018. The show highlights the artist’s 30-year-long career of excavating “the self” layers of art history, Japanese postwar history, and personal history. A group show entitiled “Japanese Radicalism” curated by Reiko Tomii and based on her book from 2016 throws light on the global web of correspondences that influenced Japanese modern artists borrowing from conceptualism, mail art and happenings. March 8 – June 9, 2019. 333 E. 47th St. 212-832-1155.

The Rubin Museum of Art has the following shows –  “A Lost Future” by Shezad Dawood – The Otolith” through Jan. 28, 2019. “Tibetan Buddhist Art” gets a full survey including offerings from the museum’s own collection and objects from the Musee Guimet in Paris, the Cleveland Museum of Art and other institutions. Feb. 1, 2019 – July 15, 2019. 150 W. 17th St.  New York, New York. 212-620-5000×344 or go to rubinmuseum.org.

The Museum of Chinese in America has the following – “Radical Machines: Chinese in the Information Age” looks at the technologically crucial Chinese typewriter and the role it played in modernization and communication. Through March 24, 2019. “Interior Lives: Photographs of Chinese Americans in the 1980’s by Bud Glick” documents the street life of New York’s Chinatown during a time of major changes. Through March 24, 2019. 215 Centre St. New York, NY. 855-955-MOCA or go to mocanyc.org.

The Asia Society Museum in New York presents the following – “The Progressive Revolution: Modern Art for a New India” through Jan 20, 2019. It looks at the emergence of a modern art movement in India via The Progressive Artist’ Group which formed in Bombay (now Mumbai) in the aftermath of independence. The show is comprised of works by the group’s core founders as well as later names affiliated with the group. Organized by Dr. Zehra Jumabhoy and Boon Hui Tan. There will be a series of programs held in conjunction with this show. To find out more, go to AsiaSociety.org/NY. 725 Park Ave. New York City, New York. 212-327-9721 or go to www.asiasociety.org for more details.

The Noguchi Museum has the following show through Jan. 27, 2019. “Akari – Sculpture by Other Means” looks at how Noguchi’s paper lanterns can create and transform space in different warp through installation. 9 – 01 33rd Rd, Long Island City, NY. 718-204-7088.

“Art of the Mountain: Through the Chinese Photographer’s Lens” is a group show looking at how Chinese photographers perceive landscape. Now through Feb. 17, 2019 at China Institute Gallery  at 100 Washington St. (visitor entrance is at 40 Rector St . on the 2nd floor) in New York. 212-744-8181 or go to www.chinainstitute.org.

Masayuki Koorida – An extensive survey & the artist’s first major exhibition in the U.S. with large scale works in marble and granite as well as smaller, playful works in stainless steel & acrylic as well as drawings. Remains on view through March17, 2019.  Tallur L. N. is an Indian sculptor who combines Indian craft traditions and novel sculptural techniques to infuse ancient iconography with contemporary meanings. “Multiplicity” is a show that has around thirty works in a variety of mediums, from carved stone and wood to cast bronze and concrete to found objects. May 5, 2019 – Jan. 5, 2020. Grounds for Sculpture at 80 Sculptors Way  in Hamilton, New Jersey.609-586-0616 or info@grounds for sculpture.org.

Pakistani-born artist Huma Bhabha’s rugged style of figurative sculpture working with a variety of material from clay  and Styrofoam often evokes science-fictional imagery like the aliens currently on the roof of the Met. This large retrospective allows us to see the range of her interests in all phases of her career from masks to photographs and drawings. March 20 – May 27, 2019. Institute of Contemporary Art,  25 Harbor Shore Dr. in Boston, MA. 617-478-3100

Museum of Fine Arts Boston has the following –  “Hao Jingban: Beijing Ballroom” uncovers a Chinese tradition. Through Jan. 21, 2019. 9300 Avenue of the Arts. 465 Huntington Ave. Go to mfa.org or call 617-267-9300.

The Peabody Essex Museum presents “Empresses of China’s Forbidden City”, the first major international exhibition to explore the role of empresses in China’s Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). Includes many works never seen before in the U.S. Through Feb. 10, 2019. 161 Essex St. in Salem, MA. 978-745-9500 or go to pem.org. This show moves on to the Freer/Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Mall in Washington D.C. March 30 – June 23, 2019.

The Minneapolis Institute of Art has the following.  “Love Affairs: The Tale of Genji in Japanese Art” through March 10. 2019. “Without Boundaries: Fiber Sculpture & Paintings by Women Artists” featuring work by Yayoi Kusama through July 21, 2019. “Emblems of a Prosperous Life: Women’s Robes of Late Imperial China (1700s-1800s) through June 30, 2018. Minneapolis  Institute of Art. 2400 Third Ave. S. Call toll free at 888-642-2787.

“Ruth Asawa: Life’s Work” features almost eighty sculptures, drawings and collages  of this Bay Area treasure with the highlight being a ten-foot wire piece she did for her friend and former teacher, Buckminster Fuller and her origami-like sculptures made of paper often used as models for public art commissions. Through Feb. 16, 2019.  Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri. 314-754-1850.

“Lee Ufan: Relatun – Stage” on view through Jan. 27, 2019. Hito Steyerl looks at the relationship between networked technologies, image distribution and societal control. In this new commission for Serpentine Galleries, she works with technology to create a neural network that generates novel imagery and connections. Serpentine Galleries in London from March – May 2019. Kensington Gardens. 020-7402-6075.

Indonesian-born, Amsterdam-based filmmaker Fiona Tan mixes found and original footage in her work to blue categories. Here, she uses color advertising footage from Agfa to explore notions of authenticity and normalcy in West Germany. May 4 – August 11, 2019.  Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany. Heinrich-Boll-Platz, 50067 Koln, Germany. +49 221-221-26165 or [email protected].

“Resistance of Fog: Fujiko Nakaya” is at Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower in Mito through Jan. 20, 2019. Nakaya is considered the first artist to use fog as a medium in art during the 1970’s and continues to work in that medium. Her environmental sculptures are part-installation, part performance and explore the relationship between humans and nature. 1-6-8-Goken-cho, Mito, Ibaraki at Mito Station. Go to www.arttowermito.or.jp/gallery_en/gallery01.

Tokyo Opera city Art Gallery has the following shows. “Naoki Ishikawa: Capturing the Map of Light on This Planet” is a survey of this Japanese photographer’s work on view from Jan. 12 – March 24, 2018. 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo,Japan. +81- (0) 3-5353-0756.

Fukuzawa Ichiro was one of many Japanese artists who traveled extensively abroad in the early twentieth century with a seven year stint in Paris where he was influenced by Max Ernst and other Surrealists. In his painting and writing, he was a vigorous supporter of avant garde movements on his return. Almost ninety works in this retrospective attest to his transcultural range full of social critique and humor. National  Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. March 12 – May 26, 2019. 1-1 Kitanomaru-koen, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan. +81 3-5777-8600.

“New Wave: Japanese Contemporary Art of the 1980’s” on view  through Jan. 20, 2019. The National Museum of Art, Osaka. 4-2-55 Nakanoshima,  Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. +81-3-3212-2485.

Kichizaemon Raku is the 15th head of the respected Raku family of tea bowl craftsmen. He found a kindred spirit and inspiration in the  work of the eccentric abstract painter Wols. His work is featured alongside some of the work by Wols that inspired him. The result are artworks as tea bowls rather than artistic tea bowls. “Raku Kichizaemon x Wols” on view through March 31, 2019 at the Sagawa Art Museum. Go to www.sagawa-art-museum.or.jp for details.

“Mingei: Another Kind of Art” is a group show showing objects of the Japanese folk art movement accompanied by videos of production processes and interviews with their creators. Through Feb. 24, 2019. 21_21 Design Sight: Tokyo Midtown Garden. Go to www.2121designsight.jp for details.

“Make A Joyful Noise” is a permanent exhibit where you can view, hear, touch and play instruments from around the world. Hamamatsu  Museum of Musical Instruments. 3-9-1 Chuo, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. O53-451-1128.

Dogo Onsen 298 is in its fourth edition and is on view through Feb., 2019. It’s a public bath in Matsuyama that allows artists to make installations within its walls and is considered one of Japan’s “three ancient hot springs” dating as far back as the 8th century Man’yoshu. With works by Chie Matsui, Aquirax Uno and Naho Ishii. 6 – 8 Dogo Yunomach, Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture. 089-907-5930.

The merry pranksters of the Tokyo art collective known as Chim Pom are at it again at Anomaly, a contemporary art gallery jointly started by three modern art galleries that occupy the fourth floor of Terada Art Complex. Entitled “Grand Open”, the show consists of stacks of concrete whose meat is meter-high piles of random junk scavenged from a building demolition. Through Jan. 26, 2019. 1-33-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagaw-ku, Tokyo. 03-6433-2988.

“The Breathing of Maps” is a group show on view through March 3, 2019 co-curated by Mark Teh of Malaysia. This show bings together artists and scholars from Southeast Asia and Japan to examiner history, culture and politics through the unique prism of maps. With lectures, workshops and performances. Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media at 7-7 Nakazone-cho, Yamaguchi, Japan. +81-83-901-2222.

“Shiro e no dokei” (Longing For White) showcases the work of one of Japan’s major quilt artists, Mutsuko Yawatagaki at the Izumo Museum of Quilt Art. One is surprised to learn the popularity of quilting in Japan stems from Japanese seeing it done on the American TV series, “Little House on The Prairie” back in the 70’s. Housed in a 200-year-old traditional residence, each quilt is presented as part of an installation and complemented by imaginative flower arrangements. The artist works only from fabric salvaged from antique kimonos and obi. 330 Fukutomi, Hikawa-cho, Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. Through Feb. 26, 2019. 0853-72-7146.

“teamLab*Borderless” houses works by this hi-tech art group in the Mori Building Digital Art Museum. With computer-graphic projections of animals, plants and objects from nature to  light sculptures and a forest of lamps. On view indefinitely. Aomi Station, Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan. 03-6406-3949.

Nicole Awai is one of the artists chosen for “New Monuments for New Cities”, a group show that reimagines the idea of public monuments. The exhibition will travel to five cities.

Performing Arts

The annual Japanese new years tradition of Mochi Tsuki or mochi pounding takes place at several places around the Puget Sound area. On Sun., Jan. 27, 2019, the Fukuoka Kinjinkai has a Mochitsuki celebration at Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington located at 1414 South Weller St. from 11 – 3pm. The event promotes Japanese culture and offers information on on Mochitsuki history and traditions. 5$ donation. [email protected].

“3X3” presents local choreographer Zoe Scofield, Yin Yue, founder of New York’s YY Dance company and Whim Whim director Olivier Wevers as they conjure up some dance magic for dancers to move to. Jan.18 – 26, 2019. Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center. $30 – $55. 201 Mercer St.  206-726-5163.

“We Are Here: Intiman Emerging Artists” is a festival of original work by Alexandra Kronz & Cassandra Leon, Steven Tran & Aaron Jin, Sara Geiger & Laurie Lynch, Chris Quilici & Alfonso “Ponch” Campos and Keniu Waweru & Greg Kleciak. Performances from Jan. 17 – Feb. 3, 2019. At 18th & Union performance space located at 1406 – 18th Ave. 206-937-6499 or try [email protected].

Seattle International Dance Festival’s “Winter Mini-Fest” brings to Seattle  Shura Baryshnikov from Russia, Danny Tan from Singapore and Gabriel Forestieri from New York City as they join Seattle’s Khambatta Dance Company for two weekends of inspired international dance performances. Starts Jan. 19, 2019. Erickson Theatre Off Broadway. $23 – $30. 1524 Harvard Ave. across from SCCC. 206-329-1050.

Intiman Theatre has scheduled an event entitled “Yes to Art: Intiman Theatre’s Press Conference & Community Celebration” set for Tues., Jan. 22, 2019 at 2pm. Program includes remarks by Randy Engstrom (Director of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture), Sara Porkalob (Intiman Trustee & Artist), Jennifer Zeyl (Intiman Artistic Director), Phillip Chavira (Intiman Executuve Director) and Dan Nye (Intiman Board President Elect) with Emcee Lamar Lewis (Intiman Trustee & Artist). Includes dessert reception and music by DJ Moni. Free but please RSVP to [email protected]. At Seattle Center Armory, Main Level at 305 Harrison St. 206-931-3202 or go to intiman.org.)

Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra present a concert entitled “From Spain to India – Contemporary Instrumental Masters” in which Radhika Iyer, Fareed Haque, Jason Everett and Trey Gunn play the music of Manuel de Falla, Ravi Shankar, Jason Everett and Anoushka Shankar. Feb. 2 at 8pm at the Chapel Performance Space in Seattle located at 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. Try [email protected] for details. They perform again on Feb. 3, 2019 at 4pm Vashon Center for the Arts on 19600 Vashon Highway SW on Vashon Island. 206-463-5131. Tickets at smcomusic.org.

The Triple Door presents “Masters of Hawaiian Music: George Kahumoku Jr., Nathan Aweau & Kawika Kahiapo in a two evening concert of slack-key, side guitar, ukulele and songs from the traditional and contemporary Polynesian tradition. Feb. 22 & 23 at the Triple door at 8pm.216 Union St. 206-838-4333 or try thetripledoor.net.

UW music professor/violinist Melia Watras celebrates her new recording entitled “Schumann Resonances” with fellow musical heavyweights Richard Karpen, Cuong Vu and husband and colleague, Michael Jinsoo Lim. Wed., Feb. 6, 2019 at 7:30pm. Brechemin Auditorium in the UW Music Building on the Seattle campus. Free.

The “March Is Cabaret Month Festival” gets an opening night kickoff with an evening hosted by festival director & drag chanteuse Arnoldo! which features The Love Markets, The Sirens of Swing and Sweet Spot Combo. On Wed., Feb. 27, 2019 at 7:30pm. Arnoldo! is the founder of the Pacific Northwest Cabaret Association and festival director. He received a 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Filipino Community of Seattle for promoting culture & the arts. The concert is at The Triple Door located at 216 Union St. 206-838-4333 or go to www.tripledoor.net for details.

The UW Japan Studies Program presents an event entitled “Oshogatsu 2019: Celebrating the New Year and the Gaihozu Map Collection” on Jan. 30, 2019 at 6pm. The Japanese Collection librarian will discuss the history of Gaihozu map making which covered the areas of the former Japanese imperial territories from the 1880’s until the end of WWII. UW Japanese historian, Professor Mark Metzler will talk about how Gaihozu can be used for research. At the Allen Library at the University of Washington, Seattle campus 206-685-9997.

The Meany Center For The Performing Arts – Looking forward to the 2018/2019 season, look out for the following. Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq returns to Seattle on Feb. 8, 2019. Her vocal improvisations bridge traditional roots with contemporary culture, stirring in punk, metal and electronics. Time for Three is a ground  breaking string trio that transcends tradition as well by mixing elements of pop and rock into their classical foundation. They perform on April 18, 2019. Yekwon Sunwoo won the Gold Medal at the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He makes his Seattle debut in a program of Schumann, Liszt, Beethoven and Schubert. One performance  only on Sat., May 4, 2019 at 7:30pm. All tickets now available as part of a Meany Center subscription package and remaining single tickets go on sale on August 1, 2018. You can order online at meanycenter.org or call 206-543-4880 or visit the ticket office at 41st Street between University Way  NE & Brooklyn Ave. NE. tickets available via FAX too at 206-685-4141.

Local singer/songwriter Brenda Xu joins singer/songwriter Joan Osborne in a concert entitled “Joan Osborne Sings the Songs of Bob Dylan” at the Triple Door from Feb. 17 – 19 at 7:30pm. Tickets from $35 – $45. 216 Union St.  Try thetripledoor.net for details.

Seattle Opera helped to commission a new contemporary opera entitled “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs”, Apple founder. Adam Lau plays the role of Kobun Chino Otogawa. Plays McCaw Hall from Feb. 23 – March 9. Tickets vary from $25 – $335. 321 Mercer St. in Seattle Center. 206-389-7676 or try [email protected].

Indonesian teenage wunderkind jazz pianist Joey Alexander plays Jazz Alley with his trio from Feb. 28 – March 3, 2019. $41.00. 2033 6th Ave. 206-441-9729 or try  jazzalley.com for details.

UW Music instructor and trumpet player Cuong Vu leads the Studio Jazz Ensemble and UW Modern Band in innovative big band arrangements and original compositions on Mon., March 11, 2019 at the Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater at 7:30pm. $10. 4001 University Way NE.

The UW Wind Ensemble with  Seattle Symphony guest clarinetist Ben Lulich present a program of new music which includes a composition by Tian Zhou and others. Tuesday, March 12 at 7:30pm at the Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater. $10 tickets. 4001 University Way NE.

Conductor Ludovic Morlot ends his 2018/2019 tenure with the Seattle Symphony with a varied and stimulating series of concerts. Some highlights include the following – The annual “Celebrate Asia” concert is back on Jan. 27, 2019 at 4pm in Taper Auditorium. The theme this year is Korea. The orchestra will be led by highly touted conductor Shiyeon Sung known for finding the right balance between dynamic passion and even handed music making. Pianist Seong-Jin Chao won the Gold Medal at the Chopin International Competition and has never looked back. He will be a featured soloist. Soprano Kathleen Kim is a regular guest at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera and will grace the stage with her beautiful voice. The program consists of work by John Adams, Rachmaninov, Narong Prangcharoen, Unsuk Kim and traditional Korean folk songs. Taper Auditorium. The Silk Road Ensemble (featured in a documentary film) returns with the world premiere of Kinan Azmeh’s clarinet concerto, composer/pianist Vijay Iyer’s “City of Sand”, Edward Perez’s “Latina 6/8 Suite” and a world premiere by noted composer Chen Yi. Wed., Feb. 6 at 7:30pm in the Taper Auditorium. Pianist Jessica Choe performs with Seattle Symphony with a live score performed with the screening of the film “Amadeus” on Feb. 22 at 8pm and Feb. 23 at 8pm. Avi Avital is a mandolin virtuoso who leads a group with Jessica Choe on piano through a fresh interpretation of Vivaldi and Telemann on Friday, May 3 at noon & 8pm and Sat., May 4 at 8pm.  A Family Concert Series program entitled “Carnival Of The Animals” takes place on Sat. May 4 at 11am , 2018 with Pablo Rus Broseta conducting and Hannah Song on violin, Kristy Park on cello, Jessica Choe on piano and Elizabeth Morgan on piano. A Brahms Concerto Festival 1 takes place on Thursday, May 9 at 7:30pm featuring Zee Zee on piano. All concerts at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. Go to seattlesymphony.org for details.

Seattle Pro Musica specializes in the performance and promotion of modern and ancient choral music under the direction of artistic director Karen Thomas.  They present a concert entitled “Pacific Voices – Choral Music by Asian and Asian American Composers” on Sat., March 9, 2019 at 7:30pm at Seattle First Baptist Church at 1111 Harvard Ave. in Seattle and again on Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 7:30pm at Trinity Lutheran Church at 6215 196th St. WW in Lynnwood, WA.  Composers performed are Hyo-Won Woo, Sungji Hong, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Budi Susanto Yohanes, Victor Paranjoti and A. R. Rahman of “Slumdog Millionaire” fame. Advance tickets available through Brown Paper Tickets or you could get them online at seattlepromusica.org.

Marginal Consort is a Japanese collective improvisation group founded by members of East Bionic Symphonia, an outfit assembled from students of Fluxus artist Takehisa Kosugi’s (who worked with choreographer Merce Cunningham) class at the radical Bigaku School of Aesthetics in Tokyo in the 1970s. Meeting once a year since 1996 to collaborate, they discuss nothing beforehand, preferring to gather as a collective of horizontally organized independent solos rather than a cohesive goal-oriented ensemble. On Jan. 25 – 26, 2019 they gather in Seattle as part of The Sound Histories Festival (Jan. 24 – 27). They have a performance set for Fri., Jan. 25 and then a workshop set for Sat., Jan. 26, 2018. Times will be announced in the Fall of 2018. Organized in collaboration with PUSH Festival in Vancouver and Portland Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA). Seattle appearances will be at On The Boards (OTB). 100 Roy St. For information on the entire OTB season, go to ontheboards.org/1819-season. For tickets, call the Box Office at 206-217-9886×1019. Hours are Tues. – Fri. from 12 – 4pm.

There is a free Lunar New Year Family Festival on Feb. 2, 2019 from 11am – 2pm at Seattle Art Museum downtown. With live music, martial arts demonstrations, family-friendly gallery tours and drop-in art activities inspired by the holiday.

“The Three Yells: A Crack in the Noise” choreographed by Veronica Lee-Baik deals with the humanitarian crisis of refugees. Performed on Feb. 1 & 2 at 7:30pm. $25. Cornish Playhouse at Seattle  Center. 206-726-5163 or try http://cornish.edu/playhouse.

Kevin Lin is part of the cast for the ACT LAB/Seagull Project co-production of Anton Chekhov’s ”Uncle Vanya” on stage Feb. 1 – 17 at the Falls Theatre at ACT. This classic by the Russian playwright explores a provincial family town apart by greed. Directed by John Langs. Melissa Y. Hamasaki serves as Production Stage Manager. 206-292-7676 or go to www.acttheatre.org. 700 Union St.  downtown.

Minna Lee is in the cast for a new folkrock musical entitled “The Devil & Sarah Blackwater” with book by Anthea Carns, music & lyrics by Lauren Freman and directed by Madison Jade Jones & Sam Ro. When the devil comes calling to collect a debt, a budding singer must journey to hell and back with love as her only compass. Plays Feb. 1 – March 2, 2019. At the Annex Theatre at 1122 E.  Pike St. #1440. Tickets at bit.ly/SarahBTickets.

“Beyond Ideas” is the title of ArtsWest’s 2018-2019 season. Some highlights include David Henry Hwang’s “M. Butterfly” set for January 24 – Feb. 17, 2019 with Tom Dang, David Quicksall and Kathy Hsieh. Julia Cho’s “Office Hour” May 2 – May 26, 2019 and Justin Huertas’s musical, “The Last World Octopus Wrestling Champion” June 20 – July 28, 2019. Learn more details about the entire new season at artswest.org. ArtsWest is located in West Seattle at 4711 California Ave. SW.

Patrick Shiroishi, an L.A. based multi-instrumentalist joins Seattle bassist Abby Blackwell and Seattle trombonist/vocalist Haley Freedlund as part of the Seattle Improvised Music Festival on Sat., Feb. 9 at 8pm. Other performers include Odeya Nin, L. A. based vocalist and Holland Andrews/Ambrosia Bardos/Ebony Miranda. At the Chapel Performance Space at Good Shepherd Center on the 4th floor at 4649 Sunnyside n. Go to [email protected] for details.

“In The Heart of America” is Naomi Wallace’s Obie-winning play about love and war. Characters include a Palestinian woman, her marine brother and American lover and the ghost of a Vietnamese mother whose infant daughter was killed at My Lai. Directed by Amanda Friou and stars Asialani Holman as the Vietnamese mother.  Plays March 6 – 17 at the Jones Playhouse on 4045 University Way NE. $10 & $20. 206-543-4880 or try artsuw.org. Tickets can also be purchased in person at ARTSUW Ticket Office located at 1313 NE 41st  St.

Zakir Hussain makes his annual visit to Seattle with his always  compelling “Masters of Percussion” ensemble featuring some world-class musicians. Set  for April 2, 2019 at the Moore Theatre. Presented by STG Presents. 206-812-1114.

UW theatre graduate Mikko Juan spent the fall touring Eastern Washington in Seattle Children’s Theatre production of Ramon Esquivel’s “Between and Below”. Now he returns to Seattle in the lead role in “Urinetown: The Musical”, a joint production of 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT as directed by Bill Berry. Set for The Falls Theatre from April 6 – May 26, 2019 at ACT downtown. 700 Union St.

The “Monterey Jazz Festival On  Tour” with vocalist Ceceile McLorin Salvant headlining makes a stop in Seattle on April 7, 2019 at the Moore with a top roster of diverse, international talent including Yasushi Nakamura on bass. 206-467-5510.

Canadian playwright Ins Choi’s award-winning family comedy “Kim’s Convenience” (CBS television adaption was recently added to Netflix) comes to Taproot Theatre’s 2019 season titled “Family Ties”. On Stage May 15 – June 22, 2019 as co-directed by Scott Nolte and David Hsieh. A Korean Canadian family learns to live with their own faults, get along and forge ahead in this heartwarming comedy about the foibles and blessings of family. Go to taproottheatre.org for tickets. 204 N. 85th St, in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. 206-781-9705.

Indian composer Reena Esmail presents compositions merging Western techniques with traditional Hindustani instrumentation and musical themes. She brings a newly commissioned piano trio composition with Joshua Roman, David Fung and Kristin Lee. May 21, 2019 at 7:30pm.1119 Eighth Ave. Doors open at 6:30pm.

Closing Café Nordo’s 10th Season of supper-club musicals is “7th & Jackson” written by the multi-talented Sara Porkalob and set for July, 2019. Three Seattle friends haunt the speakeasys listening to jazz before WW II and share a dream to open a night club of their own. When the bombing of Pearl Harbor and rising WWII tensions tear apart homes, the friends separate but never lose sight of their dreams. Café Nordo is at 109 South Main. Go to www.cafenordo.com to find out more about their new season and how you can get tickets.

Edmonds Center for the Arts has the following set for 2019. Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company performs live with the Ahn Trio on stage, “Red Firecrackers: The Legend of the First Chinese New Year” on Feb. 23 at 11am and again on Feb. 23 at 7:30pm. Sitar virtuoso  Anoushka Shankar performs on April 24, 2019 at 7:30pm. 410 Fourth Ave. N. 425-275-9595.

Broadway Center for the Performing Arts in Tacoma presents the following events at various venues. Their info # is 253-591-5894. Ukelele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro plays Pantages Theatre at 901 Broadway on Sat., Feb. 2, 2019 at 7:30pm. Symphony Tacoma presents “Beyond The Silk Road” on Sat., Feb. 23, 2019 at 7:30pm at Pantages Theatre. Broadway Center presents sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar on Sun., April 28, 2019 at 7:30pm. Also at the Pantages Theatre.

In Portland, catch these acts from Asia in 2018/2019. The Silkroad Ensemble plays the Newmark on Feb. 4, 2019 at 7:30pm. KODO, the exciting taiko group from Japan plays Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Feb. 5, 2019 at 7:30pm. 909 SW Washington. 503-228-1353 or try [email protected]. The Beijing Modern Dance Theater founded in 2008 by Wang Yuanyuan bring Chinese modern dance to the stage on Feb. 20, 2019 at 7:30pm at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall at 909 SW Washington.

Pork-Filled Players has two projects coming up. “Unleashed – New Pulp Stories For the 21st Century” features new genre plays from playwrights of color in an ongoing series of staged readings throughout the year.

Macha Theatre Works announces their 2018-2019 season of fearless female theatre. The final production is the World Premiere of “Sheathed”, written by local playwright Maggie Lee and directed by Macha Artistic Director Amy Poisson. A tale of an unlikely friendship texted by the bonds  of honor and the terrible price of forgiveness. Movement Choreographer Alyza Delpan-Monley and Fight Choreographer May Nguyen Lee complete the production team. “Sheathed” runs from March 8 – 23, 2019 at Theatre Off Jackson at 409 – 7th Ave. S.  For tickets and information, go to www.machatheatreworks.com/tickets or call 608-909-1252 or email [email protected].

Get ready for the world premiere of local playwright Susan Lieu’s performance piece “140 LBS”. A daughter investigates a mother’s death on the operating table while undergoing plastic surgery and uncovers painful truths. Set for Feb. 7-9, 11, 14-16 at 7:30pm and Feb. 10 & 17 at 2pm at Theatre Off Jackson in Seattle’s CID. Go to https://theatreoffjackson.org/event/4778/140-lbs/ or details.

Abbey Arts presents Seattle singer/songwriter Tomo Nakayama who headlines a bill with Lenore on Feb. 15, 2019. Fremont Abbey at 4272 Fremont Ave. N. Go to www.fremontabbey.org/artsconnect.

Degenerate Art Ensemble’s latest performance of dance, theater, live music and cinematic video entitled “Skeleton Flower” premieres its first full production at Seattle’s Erickson Theater (across from Seattle Central Community College) from Feb. 13 – 16, 2019. Also released at the same time will be the audio cd and a virtual reality film made with VR filmmaker Mischa Jakupcak and Zoo Break Productions. Shows at 7pm with a 9:30pm show added on Friday and Saturday. The story is autobiographic and draws on the dancer’s experience as a survivor of personal and ancestral trauma and how art becomes the healer. 1524 Harvard Ave. For more details, go to http://www.degenerateartensemble.com.

“Devi” is a new adaptation by Northwest South Asian theatre company Pratidhwani conceived with over 40 actors and dancers in partnership with ACT Theatre’s ACTLab set for April to May, 2019 in The Allen Theatre at ACT. Go to www.acttheatre.org or call 206-292-7676 for details.

Some of the upcoming concerts Earshot Jazz is planning for 2019 include the Japanese pianist/composer/multi-instrumentalist Satoko Fujii & her Trio and New York-based guitarist/composer Miles Okazaki and his group “Trickster”. Okazaki grew up in Port Townsend. For more information on future concerts, go to earshot.org for details.

Vancouver’s City Opera has commissioned award-winning novelist Madeleine Thien (“Do Not Say We Have Nothing”) who hails from Vancouver and grew up in Chinatown to write to the libretto for a new opera entitled “Chinatown” set for its debut in late 2021.

Prumsodun Ok is a Cambodian American who studied Khmer court dance in the US and ultimately in Phnom Penh. He is now artistic director of Natyarasa, Cambodia’s first LGBTQ dance company. They perform traditional dances in gender-fluid form as well as new original works around the country.

After receiving a MacArthur Fellowship in October of 2018, Vjay Gupta has chosen to leave his position as first violin in the Los Angeles Philharmonic to focus his efforts on social justice and his non-profit group Street Symphony who plays on the streets, in hospitals and shelters around the city.

Sono Osato, one of the last surviving members of Colonel de Basil’s Original Ballet Russe Dance Troupe that thrilled audiences around the worl for decades has died. The daughter of a Japanese father and an Irish-French Canadian mother, Osato faced many challenges of racism and prejudice in her professional life as a dancer/performer/actress. After Ballet Russe, she later joined the American Ballet Theatre in 1940. She played the role of “Premiere Dancer” oin Kurt Weil’s “One Touch of Venus” choreographed by Agnes de Mille. Her biggest highlight was the role of Ivy “Miss Turnstyles” Smith in Leonard Bernstein’s Broadway musical “On the Town.” In films, she starred with Frank Sinatra in “The Kissing Bandit”. She married Moroccan-born architect and property developer Victor Elmaleh and they had two sons. Osato’s memoir entitled “Distant Dances” was published in 1980.

Film & Media

“Cocktails & Karoke” is the title of a fundraiser benefiting the Seattle Asian American Film Festival set for Jan. 17, 2019 from 7 – 11pm at the Kona Kitchen. There will be previews of the film line-up, raffles and of course, singing. Free. Come early for dinner. The Kona Kitchen is at 8501 – 5th Ave. NE. 206-517-5662 or try [email protected]. The Seattle Asian American Film Festival takes place Feb. 21 – 24, 2019 on Seattle’s Capitol Hill at Broadway Performance Hall and Northwest Film Forum. Opening night party with Ruby Ibarra and Jyun Jyun at Washington Hall. For complete details, go to seattleaaff.org.

“Shoplifters”, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest film about a family of misfits living on the margins of contemporary Tokyo opens Dec. 14, 2018 at SIFF Uptown. It won the Palme d’OR at Cannes and is nominated for a Golden Globes Award. 206-324-9996.

Upcoming films at Northwest Film Forum include the following – A series of films celebrating the golden age of the Shaw Brothers films-Other Shaw Brothers classics include “Come Drink With Me” on Jan. 9, 2019, “Golden Swallow” on Jan. 16, 2019 and “One-Armed Swordsman” on Jan. 23, 2019. Go to nwfilmforum.org for advance tickets. “All that Passes by Through a Window that Doesn’t Open” is a documentary film by Martin Diciccio of men (young & old) working to build a new railroad between Azerbaijan and Armenia that’s yet to be completed. This film captures time suspended and the thoughts of daily routine and a meditation on labor’s role in life. Screens Jan. 18 at 7pm and Jan. 19 & 20 at 8pm. Northwest Film Forum is located at 1515 12th Ave. on Capitol Hill. 206-329-2629.

M. Night Shyamalan, the master of the surreal science fiction story returns with a new film entitled “Glass” that looks at conditions at a repressive mental hospital and the efforts of inmates to escape. Stars Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Sarah Paulson and James McAvoy. It is a sequel to “Unbreakable” and “Split”, two previous films by the director. Opens Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 with a wide release at various local theatres.

Central Cinema brings back an anime classic from Japan. “Akira” looks at a futuristic Tokyo where a Godzilla-like creature and gangs roam the streets in this cyberpunk animated feature. Jan. 25 – 29. 1411 21st Ave. 206-328-3230.

Grand Illusion Cinema has the following – Opening Jan. 24, 2019 is Kore-eda’s 2018 Cannes prize-winner “Shoplifters”. On Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 & 3, 2019, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung’s “Blade of Fury”, a Golden Harvest film from 1993 that is a martial arts thriller that looks at Blade” Wang Wu. Another Sammo Kam-Bo Hung feature “Pedicab Driver” from 1989 has a poor pedicab driver who must avenge the death of friends by a gangster and fight for the girl he loves. Screens Feb. 6, 8, 10 & 14. Mamoru Hosoda’s latest animated film “Mirai” screens Feb. 8 – 14. 1403 NE 50th St. 206-523-3935.

The 14th annual “Children’s Film Festival Seattle” returns Jan. 24, 2019 – Feb. 9, 2019 to the Northwest Film Forum. More than 150 films from 40+ countries will be screened. Highlights include Priya Ramasubban’s “Chuskit” (India) in which a feisty paraplegic girl rebels against family and village traditions in a Himalayan village to fulfill her dreams of going to school and a program of all Japanese-language shorts presented in association with Tokyo’s KINEKO Children’s Film Festival. Full festival schedule and ticket links will be posted after Dec. 5, 2018. Go to www.childrensfilmfestival.org for details.

ELEVEN Arts and Fanthom Events present the return of director Naoko Yamada’s animated coming-of-age drama centered on a deaf girl in “A Silent voice” set for Jan. 28 (in original Japanese with subtitles) and Jan. 31, 2019 (dubbed in English) at 7pm at various local theatres. Based on Yoshitoki Oima’s manga of the same name, it tells the story of a deaf girl bullied by a popular boy in class. The boy in later years tries to find her and make amends. For tickets, go to www.FanthomEvents.com.

A new cyberpunk film from Director Robert Rodriguez, produced and co-written by James Cameron  entitled “Alita: Battle Angel” based on the manga “Gunnm” by Yukito Kishino tells the story of a female cyborg discovered in a scrap yard by a scientist who has no memory of her past life but possesses incredible martial arts skills. It gets a wide release in local theatres on Feb. 14, 2019.

SIFF Uptown hosts a Saturday Morning Cartoon program with coffee & donuts and a post film discussion, All ages welcome. Some films to look forward to in this series include the following – Award-winning anime director Mamoru Hosoda is back with his latest feature “Mirai” in which an older sister and younger brother must journey through time and the future to reunite. Jan. 19, 2019 at 11am. With voices by John Cho and Daniel Dae Kim.  “Window Horses: The poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming” is a story that tells what happens when a young Canadian poet of Iranian/Chinese ancestry leaves her sheltered Vancouver BC home to perform at a poetry festival in Iran. It’s her first trip abroad and what will she discover. Screens March 30, 2019. Voices provided by Sandra Oh, Ellen Page and and Shohreh Aghdashloo. 511 Queen Anne N. 206-324-9996.

Makoto Shinkai who directed the animated 2017 smash hit “Your Name” (“Kimi no Na wa”) has announced his new film. “Weathering With You (“ Tenki no Ko”) will hit screens in Japan in July of 2019 with world-wide distribution to follow. The film features a girl who has the power to stop rain and clear the sky. Masayoshi Tanaka who worked on “Your Name” will once again serve as character designer. Actors Kotaro Daigo and Nana Mori will supply the voices for the main characters.

Prize-winning Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase (“Suzaku”, “Sweet Bean”, “Still the Water”) has been selected to make a documentary film about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Oscar-winning Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki’s animated feature “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Win” will be adapted into a kabuki production next year, a first for one of his films. Kabuki acotor Kikunosuke Onoe V came up with the idea and will star as Nausicaa with Shichinosuke Nakamura II as Princess Kiushana. It is set for December 2019.

“Warrior” is a new Cinemax series set in 1878 San Francisco with a largely Asian cast.

Pixar Studios Director Domee Shi who did the short film “Bao” is now working on a feature length film for the same studio.

The Written & Spoken Arts

Seattle Public Library’s “2019 Seattle Reads” event which takes place in April has selectd the graphic memoir by Thi Bui entitled “The Best We Could Do” which details the experience of Vietnamese immigrants settling in a new land. In an effort to involve the community, there will be two meetings at the Central Library downtown on Wed., Jan. 16 at 2pm and Thurs., Jan. 17 at 10am. Light refreshments will be served. For details, contact Stesha Brandon at [email protected].

Elise Hooper talks to Danya Kukafka about her new book entitled “Learning to See: A Novel of Dorothea Lange, The Woman Who Revealed the Real America” (William Morrow). In her long career as a documentary photographer, Lange covered the incarceration and removal of Japanese Americans to internment camps during WW II. Free. On Friday, Jan. 25. 2019 at  7pm. Third Place Books in Ravenna. 6504 – 20th Ave. NE. 206-525-2347.

Open Books has the following events –

A group reading with poets Geneve Chao, Wendy Chin-Tanner, Sarah Mangold & Jane Wong is set for March 17, 2019 at 4:30pm. Open Books is a poetry only bookstore located in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood at 2414 N. 45th St. 206-633-0811.

Elliott Bay Book Company continues to sponsor readings in their Capitol Hill bookstore as well as co-producing events all over the city. Below you will find a partial listing of some of their events. Events are at the bookstore located at 1521 Tenth Ave. unless otherwise noted. Huda Al-Marashi reads the  memoir “First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story” (Prometheus) in which the author seeks a balance between traditional Muslim values and romantic fantasies from American media on Thurs., Jan. 17 at 7pm at Elliott Bay. Tasveer presents a Hugo House Creative Writing Workshop with noted Northwest author Indu Sundaresen on Thurs., Jan. 17 at 7pm. Moderated by Darshawa Shanbhang. Free. 1634 -11th Ave. Tasveer South Asian Literary Festival presents Young Poets Group Reading set for Friday, Jan. 18 at 7pm at Hugo House. With Ananya Garg, Malvika Nair and Aziura Tyyabji. Moderated by Shankar Narayan. Free. For more information, go to www.tasveer.org. On Sat. Jan. 19 at 10am in the Seattle Art Museum auditorium, Saturday University’s “Roots of Culture:Winter Plants of Asia” lecture series kicks off with pianist/educator/botanist Jovino Santos Neto who talks about and plays piano around the theme, “ The Harmonic Forest: Musical structures Heard as Trees.” Tasveer Reads South Asian Lit Festival presents Sohrab Homi Fracis who discusses his novel “Go Home” (Knut House) which was adapted into a screenplay with Allan Marcil. Moderated by Shahina Piyarali. Free. Jan. 19 at 1pm. At Seattle Art Museum at 1300 First Ave. downtown. More info. at www.tasveer.org. Tasveer’s lit fest. continues with Ak. Asif, Shobha Rao and Chaitali Sen, three fiction writers in a talk moderated by S. Charusheela. Free. Jan. 19 at 3pm. Seattle Art Museum at 1300 First Ave. Elise Hooper is the author of a new historic novel on photographer Dorothea Lange who documented the evacuation and incarceration of Japanese Americans at Tanforan and Manzanar during WWII entitled “Learning to See: A Novel of Dorothea Lange, the Woman Who Revealed the Real America” (William Morrow) on Tues., Jan. 22 at 7pm at Elliott Bay. Noted writer/poet Ha Jin returns to Seattle on behalf of two new books. “The Banished Immortal” is a narrative biography of the great Tang dynasty poet Li Bai (Li Po) and “A Distant Center” (Copper Canyon), a new book of poems. On Thurs., Jan. 24, 2019 at 7pm at Elliott Bay. On Jan. 24 at 7pm  you will find Ramon Isao, Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum, Becky Mandelbaum, Corinne Manning and E. Lily Yu who participate in “Short Story Form and Function: Five Seattle Short Fiction Writers in Conversation”. Moderated by Kirsten Sundberg Lundstrum. At Hugo House. Free. 1634 11th Ave. Go to www.hugohouse.org for details. At Seattle Art Museum on Sat., Jan. 26, 2019 at 10am catch Anand Yang, UW History Professor talking about “The First Satyagraha: Gandhi’s Campaign Against Indigo Plantations in Early 20th Century India.” It’s part of the Saturday University “Roots of Culture: Essental Plants of Asia” Winter Lecture Series. 1300 First Ave. Go to www.seattleartmuseum.org or call 206-654-3210. Madhuri Vijay reads from his fiction debut entitled “The Far Field” (Grove) on Sun., Jan. 27 at 3pm. A young woman travels through India to uncover a lingering family secret. At Elliott Bay presented with Tasveer. Rabeah Ghaffari’s “To Keep The Sun Alive” (Catapault) is a novel by this film editor/screen writer about the Islamic revolution’s effect on one family. On Mon., Jan. 28 at 7pm at Elliott Bay. Noted Asian American activist/author Helen Zia comes to town on behalf of her new book “Last Boat Out of Shanghai – The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao’s Revolution” (Ballantine). Tues., Jan. 29 at 7pm at Elliott Bay.Duncan Ryuken Williams talks about his new book entitled “American Sutra” which looks at the government persecution of Buddhists in the Japanese American internment camps during WW II. On Thurs., Feb. 14 at 7pm at the book store. Former UW graduate student Mia Ayumi  Malhorta returns to Seattle to read from her debut book of poetry “Isako Isako” about how the Japanese internment camp experience affected her family. She will be joined at Elliott Bay by local poets Gabrielle Bates and Jane Wong. Mon., Feb. 18 at 7pm. Michael Ondaatje reads from “Warlight”, his latest novel of war, longing and betrayal against the backdrop of WWII Britain. On Tues., Feb. 26 at 7pm at Microsoft Auditorium at Seattle Public Central Library. 1000 Fourth Ave.

Congratulations to Shankar Narayan, Putsata Reang and Michael Smeltzer who joined a select group of Seattle area writers who were chosen to be part of the 2019 Jack Straw Writers Group as curated by poet Kathleen Flenniken. The group will be doing numerous readings and workshops throughout the year around the Puget Sound.

Hugo House, that venerated Northwest center for writers and poets re-opens in brand-new digs with expanded space but in the same location. Catch their readings and celebrate their new space. Bay Area writer Vanessa Hua, author of the novel “A River of Stars” and a short story collection, “Deceit And Other Possibilities” comes to Seattle to read as part of the Hugo Literary Series with an all-star line-up of Benjamin Percy, Keetje Kuipers and Sassy Black on Sunday, March 10, 2019. She will also be teaching a class at Hugo House entitled “How to Fund Your Writing Habit” starting on March 16, 2019. Also with the opening of the new Hugo House, the writing center rolls out a new series of classes/workshops with a varied number of subjects taught by a talented group of writers like Nisi Shawl, Sonora Jha, R. O. Kwon, Anne Liu Kellor, Michelle Penaloza, Richard Chiem, Diana Xin, Anglela Garbes, Lora Shinn, Aimee Bhausar and Shankar Narayan.   1634 – 11th Ave. Go to hugohouse.org to find out more.

Seattle Arts & Lectures returns with their always stimulating series of writers, poets and a new journalism series. As part of the “Women You Need To Know” series, award-winning writer & director of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project, Soraya Chemaly comes on Jan. 31, 2019 to speak about her new book entitled “Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger.”   As part of the Poetry Series, acclaimed poet Kimiko Hahn will come April 25, 2019 for a program entitled “Poems For The Planet” which will include her and a group of friends. It’s a celebration of both Earth Day & National Poetry Month with eco-poetics as a mode of creative resistance. Visit or call for more information at 206-621-22

“Convenience Store Woman” (Grove Atlantic) by Suyaka Murata as translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori topped the “Best Books of 20198” list in the New Yorker. It tells the story of a Japanese woman who is a part-time staffer at a typical convenience store. It won the akutagawa Prize and the Naoki Prize in Japan in 2016.

Below is a partial list of new books by or about Asian Americans and new titles on Asia. If you are interested in reviewing any of them, please let us know –

Akashic Books celebrates the career of Los Angeles-based writer Nina Revoyr (“Southland”, “Wing Shooters”) by releasing her latest novel “A Student of History” as well as reissuing her 1997 debut novel entitled “The Necessary Hunger”. “A Student of History” examines the toxic ruling-class legacy of prejudice and entitlement in the city of angels. “The Necessary Hunger” is a story about women’s basketball, class, racial identity and friendship. Go to AkashicBooks.com for details.

“Anna Wong: Traveller On Two Roads” is an exhibition catalog for this late Canadian artist and documents a recent Burnaby Art Gallery exhibition. The life of this master printmaker was spent in various places including Hong Kong, Vancouver BC, New York and China and the work reflects that. Available for $40 from Burnaby Art Gallery at 604-297-4422.

“ESL or You Weren’t Here” (Nightboat Books) by Aldrrin Valdez is a debut book by this poet/artist about growing up queer in Manila with its wonder, humor, imagery, confusion and nostalgia as navigation tools for the constant negotiations between Tagalog and English and the process of omission and possession.

“Budosho shinshu – Essential Tachings on The Way of The Warrior” (Shambhala) by Daidoji Yuzan as translated by William Scott Wilson is considered one of the most influential books on samurai philosophy written by a Confucian scholar and samurai.

“A Houseboat on The Ganges & A Room In Kathmandu” (Chin Music) by Northwest writer/artist Marilyn Stablein details the life of travels and studies immersed in Eastern spiritual and artistic traditions in the 1970’s she discovered going overland through India, Nepal and Tibet.

“The Stolen Bicycle” (Text Publishing) by Wu Ming-Yi was long-listed for the Man Booker International Prize in 2018 and is an intimate portrait of a Taiwanese family, a history of bicycles and a complex weaving of magical tales and places. Translated by Darryl Sterk.

Two new translations into English for the first time of noted Japanese writer Yukio Mishima have surfaced. “The Frolic of The Beasts” (Vintage) as translated by Andrew Clare tells the gripping story of an affair gone wrong during WWII. “Star” (New Directions) as translated by Sam Bett is a penetrating study of a celebrity coming apart at the seams the longer he stands in the spotlight.

“The Yin-Yang Sisters And The Dragon Frightful” (Putnam) by  Nancy Tupper and illustrated by Andrea Offermann tells the children’s story of two sisters who save their village from a dragon.

“Returns of War – South Vietnam and the Price of Refuge Memory” (NYU) by Long T. Bui considers how the historical legacy of a nation that only existed for twenty years is being kept alive by its dispersed stateless exiles.

“A Life of Adventure and Delight” (Norton) by Akhil Sharma is a book of short stories that looks at its Indian protagonists at home and abroad as they wrestle with belonging, tradition and temptation.

“Door” (Chronicle) by Ji Hyeon Lee is a magical tale of an unexpected world that lies just behind a door.

“World-Making – Race, Performance and the Work of Creativity” (Duke) by Dorinne Kondo looks at the theatre and how race-making occurs backstage and continues on stage through economic forces institutional hierarchies, hiring practices, ideologies and aesthetic form.

“The Tale of Cho Ung” (Columbia) as translated by Sookja Cho was one of the most widely read books in Choson-period Korea. It tells the story of a warrior set in medieval China.

“The Day The Sun Died” (Grove Atlantic) by Yan Lianke as translated by Carlos Rojas is a satiric novel that looks at China’s policy of forced cremation and how it affected a small rural town.

“Family Trust” (William Morrow) by Kathy Wang is a sharp and comedic family drama set against the backdrop of Silicon Valley wealth and pretentions.

“Hong Kong Noir” (Akashic) edited by Jason Y. Ng & Susan Blumberg-Kason has fourteen of that city’s authors explore the dark heart of this city in stories of depravity and despair.

“Balance The Birds” (Abrams Appleseed) is a delightful picture book by Susie Ghahremani that examines weight, size and logic through the use of birds on a branch.

“The April 3rd Incident” (Pantheon) by Yu Hua as translated by Allan H. Barr covers early stories in the career of this Chinese author with a surrealistic, humorous bent.

“The Souls Of Yellow Folk” (Norton) by Wesley Yang is the national magazine award-winning writer’s debut collection of incisive, stylish essays on race and gender.

News/Opportunities

The November 2018 issue of Seattle Met magazine gave their “Restaurant of the Year” award to Mutsuko Soma and her Kamonegi Restaurant famous for her hand-made soba buckwheat noodles. It also featured restaurant entrepreneur I-Miun Liu.

The Seattle Genealogical Society presents a “Japanese Genealogy Seminar” on Sat. & Sunday on February 2-3, 2019 presented by Linda Harms Okazaki. Okazaki says “As I became interested in genealogy I started asking a lot of questions. It’s a complicated story, but most Japanese American stories are complicated. As I learned more about my children’s history, I wanted to help other Japanese Americans discover their stories, too. I am enmeshed in the Japanese American culture and that is what’s important.” Register for the seminar at www.seattlegenealogicalsociety.org. Each session lis limited to 40 registrants. For more information, contact Jill Morelli at [email protected]. Held at Seattle Public Library at 1000 4th Ave. in Seattle. Main doors on 4th Ave. will open at 8:45am for check in. Workshops offered will be “Exploring our Nikkei Genealogy”, “Japanese American Research for Genealogists” and “Ask a Genealogist”. Box lunches are available for $15 each. Registration online is encouraged. Mail-in registration is based on postmark date and is first-come, first- served. Send to SGS PO Box 15329 Seattle, WA 98115-0329. Form must be received by Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. For cancellations, email [email protected].

A Mellon Gateway Postdoctoral Fellowship in Visual Art is being offered to a young or emerging artist from “Historically Underrepresented Groups” by Brown University. The recipient will be given significant financial support for two years with a teaching commitment of only one course a year, allowing them time to build their career. After two years, they will start in an Assistant Tenure track position in the Visual Art Department, teaching foundational and upper-level courses to undergraduate students. If interested, try apply.interfolio.com/55258.

Brenda Wong Aoki and Center for Asian American Media have received a 2018 Hewlett 50 Arts Commission grant in the “Musical Theatre and Spoken Word” category. It will allow Wong Aoki and composer/musician husband Mark Izu time to create one of their most elaborate, multi-media productions in San Francisco tentatively titled “J-Town, Chinatown, Our Town”, a work about personal and community history in the Bay Area. Other recipients of this grant include musician/performer/composer Dohee Lee who will present a mythological performance ritual and composer Huang Ruo who will work with the Del Sol String Quartet to compose work inspired by Chinese immigrant poetry in a piece entitled “Angel Island Oratorio”.

Friends of Asian Art Association is an all-volunteer organization that connects its members and the community to educations, cultural and social events tied to Asia and its diverse art forms and culture. Enjoy year-round activities and meet new friends who share similar interests by becoming a member. All are welcome to the activities but members get special discounts and perks. Go to [email protected] for details.

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