THE APPA Newsletter

May 30, 2006

Origins of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/asianhistory1.html

http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/apahm.html

and in Canada

http://www.asianheritagemonth.org/

See This Weekend

MISSION STATEMENT:

Promote full utilization of the capabilities of the Enterprise's employees and champion the betterment of the company and community. Promote interest in Asian Pacific issues and culture and act as a bridge to all groups within our community. (substitute in your Enterprise and company, etc…)

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ed. by Douglas Ikemi

(dkikemi@pacbell.net)

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Back issues of the newsletter for all of 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 are available at http://www.ikemi.info/APPA/newsletters.html if you want to look up some past event. The website www.apa-pro.org no longer exists. This newsletter was originally published under the auspices of the Hughes Asian Pacific Professional Association (no longer extant). It currently has no affiliation and is available to anyone who is interested in downloading it.

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Please send in information on cultural events and news items to dkikemi@pacbell.net or dkikemi@mac.com . Thanks to those who have.

Long range calendar items:

Chinatown Farmers Market Every Thursday, 3:00pm to 7:00pm Chinatown Business Improvement District http://www.ChinatownLA.com/ For Information (213)680-0243

Los Angeles Public Library Celebrates our DiverseCity

http://www.lapl.org/kidspath/events/diversecity/index.html

LODESTONE THEATRE ENSEMBLE PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF The Golden Hour, A new play explores the possibility of faith in our modern age

Written by Philip W. Chung Directed by Jeff Liu

Starring: Rachel Morihiro, Saachiko, Eddie Shin, Linda Shing and Ryun Yu

April 15 - May 21, 2006, Fri/Sat - 8pm, Sun - 3pm

Special Understudy cast performance on Thurs., April 27, 8 PM / Pay-What-You-Can ($1 minimum) Featuring: Heeli Kim-Jeng, Matthew Yang-King, Annie Lee, Helen Ota & Ryun Yu as Pastor Lee

GTC Burbank, 1111-B West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506

Feb 3-May 23 Japanese Paintings: Birds, Flowersand Animals at the Pavilion for Japanese Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. http://www.lodestonetheatre.org/whatsnew.html

Bones of occupation, war and (mis)translation

Exhibition at Barnsdall Park Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Through June 11, 2006

An interactive performance installation hosting a series of games in response to U.S. military occupation In Okinawa and elsewhere, by Denise Uyehara

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Barnsdall Park Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery 4800 Hollywood Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90027

Tel: 323.644.6269 , www.deniseuyehara.com

Mani Wall and A Sacred Geography

Exhibition at UCLA June 11 - September 10, 2006

In 1996, artist/writer Mary Heebner and her husband, photographer Macduff Everton, traveled to the walled Kingdom of Lo in Nepal’s Mustang district to visit Heebner’s daughter, Sienna Craig, an anthropologist and writer who lived in Nepal intermittently from 1993–2005. They rode horses and trekked, stopping at villages along the way. In 2004, Heebner and Everton returned again to visit Craig, who was then working as a medical anthropologist in Lhasa, Tibet.

“Mani Wall and A Sacred Geography” — on view at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History from June 11 through Sept. 10 — is the result of a creative collaboration by Heebner, Craig and Everton, inspired by the landscape of these regions and the wall of painted boulders etched with Tibetan prayers (mani) that they encountered in Nepal.

In 2003, Heebner made individually pulp-painted sheets of paper, using variations of the ochre, gray and white stripes of the mani walls, to frame a collection of 12 sonnets that Craig had written about the Himalaya and Tibet. These sheets of paper became the loose-leaf pages of the elegant, limited-edition book, “A Sacred Geography: Sonnets of the Himalaya and Tibet,” which will be displayed at the Fowler in its entirety.

Heebner later used the same hues to create the “Mani Wall” series of paintings, also on display. Interspersed along the gallery walls will be a selection of 14 panoramic photographs of Nepal by Everton. Together, the words and images from this family project create a loving and personal tribute to this sacred region.

About the artists

Mary Heebner’s collages, paintings, works on paper and artist’s books are exhibited throughout the United States. A version of her artist’s book, “On the Blue Shore of Silence: Poems of the Sea by Pablo Neruda,” was published in 2004. She also writes travel articles for several magazines including Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Life and National Geographic Traveler.

Macduff Everton’s widely published photographs are exhibited and collected around the world. He is a contributing editor at National Geographic Traveler and Islands Magazine, as well as a correspondent for Virtuoso Life. Currently he is updating his seminal book, “The Modern Maya.”

Sienna Craig is completing a Ph.D. in medical and cultural anthropology from Cornell University. In 1998–99, Craig and her husband, Kenneth Bauer, founded DROKPA, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to form partnerships with pastoral communities in the Himalaya and Central Asia to implement grass-roots development and catalyze social entrepreneurship. In addition to her dissertation research, since 2002 she has been an ethnographer and research coordinator with a National Institutes of Health/Global Network for Women’s Health project based in Lhasa, Tibet. Her memoir, “Horses Like Lightning: A Passage Through Mustang,” will be published in 2007.

Visiting the Fowler

“Mani Wall and A Sacred Geography” is presented in conjunction with the debut of a major, traveling exhibition, “The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama,” and will be on view in the Fowler Museum’s Goldenberg Galleria. The Fowler Museum, part of UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture, is located in the north part of the UCLA campus.

Related event: 1–4 p.m., Saturday, June 24, A World of Art Family Workshop: Books of Place

Write original poems about a special place — real or imagined — and combine them with watercolor paintings to create your own artist’s book based on the exhibition “Mani Wall and A Sacred Geography.” The cost is $10 for members; $15 for non-members. Reservations are required; call (310) 825-7325.

12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

UCLA Fowler Museum, Los Angeles, CA 90095

The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama

Exhibition at UCLA June 11 - September 10, 2006

UCLA Fowler Museum to Premiere the Traveling Exhibition    Seventy-seven contemporary artists from 25 countries have contributed artworks for an exhibition inspired by the messages, vision and values of the Dalai Lama. “The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama” — on view at the UCLA Fowler Museum from June 11-Sept. 10 — explores themes of peace, compassion, patience and tolerance. Participating artists have considered the Dalai Lama in a broad array of new and existing works made in a variety of media expressing their personal interpretations of and reflections on his philosophies and ideals.

A photograph of the Dalai Lama taken in India in 1998 by the late Richard Avedon was among the first works contributed to “The Missing Peace.” Many artists, including Bill Viola, Mike and Doug Starn, Sylvie Fleury, El Anatsui, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Michal Rovner and Chuck Close, have created new works for the exhibition. For example, Viola recently traveled to India to meet with the Dalai Lama to create a new work that will debut at the Fowler.

All works in the exhibition have been donated by the artists and will be auctioned to raise funds for the peace initiatives of the Dalai Lama Foundation and the Committee of 100 for Tibet, the co-sponsoring organizations. The Dalai Lama, who has met with “The Missing Peace” organizers on several occasions, supports the project and will be lending a work of art from his personal collection.

Darlene Markovich, president of the Committee of 100 for Tibet, is executive director of “The Missing Peace,” leading a team of more than 20 individuals and 17 international advisers who have been organizing the exhibition for more than two years.

“Our goal is to use art as inspiration and a catalyst to shift attention towards peace. We hope the exhibition will inspire others to explore and embrace these ideals,” Markovich said. “Peace may be elusive in our world, but the Dalai Lama consistently shows us that dedicating oneself to peace can have widespread positive impact.”

Randy Rosenberg, curator of “The Missing Peace,” formerly served as curator for the art collections of The World Bank and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“The exhibition’s 77 artists bring their individual stories and experiences as well as a rich and diverse array of media and styles,” Rosenberg said, “but together their works speak eloquently to the Dalai Lama's vision of compassion, peace and the unity of all things.”

The exhibition and associated educational programs endeavor to make an enduring contribution to the global dialogue about peace. Extensive public programming planned in conjunction with the exhibition, from artists’ panels to family workshops that will encourage dialogue about peace and ethics, will be announced in the spring.

The Dalai Lama Foundation, founded in 2002, supports the development of our shared global capacity for ethics and peace. The Dalai Lama Foundation runs three initiatives: a free study guide and study circles on ethics and peace based on the Dalai Lama’s book “Ethics for a New Millennium,” online courses on ethics and peace topics, and curricula for “The Missing Peace.” Visit http://www.dalailamafoundation.org/.

Visiting the Fowler

The Fowler Museum is open from noon to 5 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays; and from noon until 8 p.m. on Thursdays, The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The Fowler Museum, part of UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture, is located in the north part of the UCLA campus. Admission is free. Campus parking is available for $8 in Lot 4.

For more information, please visit http://www.dlportrait.org

Time: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

UCLA Fowler Museum Los Angeles, CA 90095

Cost: Free

www. fowler.ucla.edu

March 10-Jun 18 Reflections of Beauty : Women from Japan’s Floating World at Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena.

Merging: The Art of Diana Shui-Iu Wong March 18, 2006 – October 15, 2006

Merging features a collection of work that spans four decades, from Wong’s early impressionistic portraits and landscapes to recent abstract compositions inspired by the Chinese philosophy of the I Ching or The Book of Changes.

While Wong’s classical training in both Chinese and Western painting form the basis for her techniques, her study of the I-Ching offered her a decisive break from traditional modes as well as new creative directions. In 1962, Wong began to experiment beyond the conventions of her formal art training to explore the liberating complexity of abstraction. Discovering that she could express pride for her heritage and culture through her work, Wong has also found self- empowerment through her art making. Wong’s most recent work ventures boldly into abstraction while grounded in nature and the elements. Her striking images, like color-flooded snapshots of the cosmos, explore universal questions about being and balance.

Chinese American Museum

El Pueblo de Los Angeles

125 Paseo de la Plaza

Los Angeles, California 90012

www.camla.org, (213) 485-8567

Cancelled MOTTY-CHON By Perry Miyake, Directed by Alberto Isaac May 10 – June 4, 2006

Martin is 48-years old, single, works a dead-end job and lives at home with his aging Nisei parents Mits and Helen. His bachelor status is the perfect target for his meddling parents and their gossip-hungry friends. Then Gina, a white, 24-year old pierced and tattooed punker chick enters Martin’s life. What’s a parent to do? MOTTY-CHON is a comedy that shatters stereotypes about parental expectations and the search for love from the playwright of VISITORS FROM NAGASAKI and DOUGHBALL.

Preview Performances May 4-7, 2006 Thursday-Saturday @ 8 pm, Sunday @ 2 pm $20 all seats $10 all seats w/ student ID

Opening Night Wednesday, May 10, 2006 @ 8 pm $60 all seats Includes pre-show hosted bar and post-show reception.

Regular Performances May 11 – June 4, 2006 Thursday- Saturday @ 8 pm, Saturday & Sunday @ 2 pm (no matinee on 5/13) $35 Orchestra $30 Balcony

American Sign Language-interpreted performance May 27, 2006 @ 2 pm. Tickets $20 for deaf and hard of hearing patrons.

http://www.eastwestplayers.org/motty.htm

June 11 Bando School of Japanese Classical Dance presents a Charity Show benefiting senior health care services featuring Bando Mitsugoro X. 1PM and 5PM. Tickets $50. Aratani/Japan America Theatre

Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, 244 South San Pedro Street, 90012. For ticket info 310-539-8636

http://www.jaccc.org/events/bandoryu_flier.pdf

Sunday June 11, 2-3pm Performance: Mongolian Throat Singing Classically-trained singer Badma Khanda and her band will perform traditional Mongolian throat singing on Sunday, June 11 in the museum auditorium.

Tickets are $8 for members, $15 general admission. Seating is limited, reservations are required. Call ext. 31. Incoming calls are honored on a first-come, first-served basis, and callers will be contacted by telephone for ticket purchase and given a confirmation code. Pacific Asia Museum, 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101 (626)449-2742

Saturday, June 17, 10am-12:45pm

Wearable Beauty: Pacific Asia Museum

Celebrates Clothing & Costumes

On the closing weekend of the Reflections of Beauty exhibition, join us for a narrated fashion show and demonstrations of ethnic costumes and textiles, presented by the museum’s Chinese, Himalayan, Japanese, Korean, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippine and Thai Arts Councils and the Service Council. Free with museum admission.

Seating is limited, reservations required, call ext. 31. Pacific Asia Museum, 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101 (626)449-2742

June 17 Asia America Symphony and Ahn Trio perform at the Aratani Japan America Theatre, 8PM. www.asiaamericasymphony.org

June 18 Little Tokyo Concert and Food Fair 11AM-7PM JACCC Plaza 244 S. San Pedro St., Downtown LA. Free Admission to see Hiroshima’s June Kuramoto and Friends, Kiyoshi Graves, DJ Hideo, Miyuki Matsunaga, Soul Sacrifice, Opus, and more. Call 818-906-2161

June 25 Re-creation of Tang period tea ceremony, New Oani Hotel, Little Tokyo, 1PM and 3:30PM. Call Okamura at 323-728-1990 or Kichimi at 818-547-1122

E Hula Mau 2006 E Hula Mau is Southern California's only Hula and Chant competition, staged annually every Labor Day weekend since 1995 by Na Mamo, a non-profit organization based in Southern California.

Our goal is to blend honored traditions with innovative ideas, and to present for everyone from participating halau to special friends and guests, a wonderful experience from the Hawaiian people.

For halau, we strive to give them a setting where their artistry can be presented at its best. For the audience, an opportunity to experience the kinetic poetry that is hula. We wish for all that they have the feeling of being welcomed as `ohana, or family.

E Hula Mau is three days of hula, mele, arts, crafts, food, and fellowship. It is held in the beautiful Terrace Theater of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California. Participating halau come from all over the mainland United States.

E Hula Mau is Not Only a Competition...

E Hula Mau has cultural workshops to share the Hawaiian heritage. It also has associated events such as the E Hula Mau Kanikapila Jam, featuring live entertainment, hula show, `ono foods, local snacks (crackseeds), and beautiful arts and crafts. Bring your guitar or `ukulele and jam with us Saturday night after the competition at the host hotel in the courtyard. Check our website periodically for additional information.

To top off the weekend, the Mahalo Bash is held Sunday night after the competition, always featuring the best in contemporary Hawaiian entertainment.

The heritage lives on through you.

It's official, E Hula Mau 2006, the 12th annual edition of the event, is scheduled, so mark your calendar now. The specifics are:

Labor Day Weekend, September 1st, 2nd, & 3rd, 2006

Terrace Theater

Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center www.longbeachcc.com/maps.htm

namamo.org

July 29-Aug 20 The Fox Lantern, a family puppet theatre production set in feudal Japan. World premiere at Triumirate Pi Theatre, Sat 11AM & 2PM, Sun 2 &4PM. (no 2PM show Aug 5, no performances Aug 13. Centenary United Methodist Church Social Hall, 300 S. Central Ave., (3^rd & Central in Little Tokyo). $10 adults, $5 children, For reservations call 213-617-9097, email cumcshotokyo@aol.com.

October 7 34^th Annual Akimatsuri Fall Festival 12-8PM East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center,

1203 West Puente Avenue

West Covina, California 91790

http://esgvjcc.741.com/home.htm

SAVE YOUR SATURDAY NIGHTS FOR COLD TOFU!

AND NOW - WATCH VIDEOS ONLINE!

Join us for our monthly improv shows at Maryknoll!

Upcoming shows in 2006!

MAY 20, 7:30 pm

JUNE 17, 7:30 pm

JULY 22, 7:30 pm

AUGUST 19, 7:30 pm

SEPTEMBER 23, 7:30 pm

OCTOBER 21, 7:30 pm

NOVEMBER 18, 7:30 pm

DECEMBER 16, 7:30 pm

Maryknoll Catholic Center

222 S. Hewitt St., LA 90012 (Located east of Alameda, between 2nd & 3rd Streets) Admission: Pay-What-You-Can

Make your reservations by calling (213) 739-4142 or e-mail us at coldtofu@hotmail.com. Email for details. www.coldtofu.com

See LA Library DiverseCity events at http://www.lapl.org/kidspath/events/diversecity/index.html

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This Weekend (and earlier)

May 31, 2006 Southern California Social Science Association A Night in Afghanistan "The Kite Runner"

Discussion and commentary led by the author of "Afghanistan in a Nutshell," Amanda Roraback

Wednesday, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Santa Monica Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica , CA

For more information please contact

Merrell Frankel Tel: (310) 475-1538

June 01, 2006Performance - Music of China

At UCLA, Schoenberg Hall

The Music of China Ensemble, under the direction of Li Chi, performs arias from Kun opera of the 15th century, silk-and-bamboo music from the Shanghai area, folk dances for festive celebration, zheng zither music in the Keijia style from Canton Province, music for large percussion ensemble and modern compositions for an ensemble of traditional Chinese wind and string instruments.

Thursday, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

UCLA Schoenberg Hall Los Angeles, CA 90095

Cost: Free

June 01, 2006 Spring Festival of World Music 2006

The UCLA Department of Ethonomusicology

Under the guidance of Director Li Chi, the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology will be presenting the Music of China Ensemble at the Spring Festival of World Music 2006 on June 1, 2006.

Thursday, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Schoenberg Hall UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Tel: 310-206-3033 www.ethnomusic.ucla.edu

JUNE 2 & 3 Yoshida Brothers U.S. Tour scheduled from May through June 2006!Superstars in their native Japan, young Tsugaru-shamisen virtuosos Ryoichiro and Kenichi Yoshida‚ The Yoshida Brothers have effected nothing short of a cultural revolution with a muscular reinvention of the ancient three-stringed instrument, giving it the fiery passion of a rock and roll guitar.

JAPAN AMERICA THEATRE, Los Angeles, CA > For tickets, please call the Box Office (213) 680-3700

June 02, 2006 Performance - Music of India At UCLA, Schoenberg Hall

The Music of India Ensemble performs short compositions of North Indian classical and semi-classical ragas (harmonic modes) and talas (rhythmic patterns on tabla). The ensemble comprises the students of Shujaat Husain Khan on vocals and sitar (a long-necked lute with seven principal strings, plus 12–20 sympathetic strings) and the students of Abhiman Kaushal on tabla (drums).

Friday, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Cost: Free

June 03, 2006 Performance - Music of Korea At UCLA Schoenberg Hall

The Music of Korea Ensemble, under the direction of DongSuk Kim, presents a variety of styles of court and folk music and dance traditions.

Saturday, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

UCLA Schoenberg Hall Los Angeles, CA 90095

Cost: Free

Saturday, June 3, 2-3 pm Pacific Asia Museum

Lecture: Courtesans, Actors and Dandies:

Fashion and the Floating World of Edo-Period Japan

In the Edo-period, kimono fashions were set by a variety of icons of popular culture of the time including high-ranking courtesans and female impersonators of the Kabuki theater. This illustrated slide lecture will be presented by Dale Carolyn Gluckman, an Asian textile specialist and former Curator of Costume and Textiles at LACMA. Free with museum admission. Sponsored by the Textile Museum Associates of Southern California (TMASC). For reservations call, ext. 19. Pacific Asia Museum, 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101 (626)449-2742

JUNE 3, 2006

SATURDAY - 7:30 PM

SATORI DAIKO FUND-RAISING CONCERT FOR JAPAN

SCHURR HIGH SCHOOL $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Includes Yukiko Matsuyama, Shinzen Taiko, Schurr Drum Line

820 Wilcox Ave, Montebello, CA 9064

For information, call: (626) 307-3839

June 4 Kabuki actor Bando Mitsugoro X will speak at the Pacific Asia Museum at 2PM. www.pacificasiamuseum.org

The 4th Oedo Ichiza Carity Show, Sunday June 4th

Aratani/Japan America Theatre

Sunday, June 4th @ 1P.M.

Genkai Ryuji, Chikushi Momotaro and other dances. Local performers will begin the variety show, and later Oedo Ichiza from Japan will be performing.

JACCC has limited number of tickets on sale.

For more information call the JACCC box office at (213) 680-3700 or

Matsubara at (909) 628-5854

March 5 - June 4, 2006 A Letter from Japan: The Photographs of John Swope

Exhibition at UCLA Hammer Museum

A Letter from Japan: The Photographs of John Swope is the first in-depth presentation of vintage prints from the late Los Angeles photographer’s 1945 journey through post-war Japan. Shot during a three-and-a-half-week period, Swope’s photographs vividly document the impact of World War II on the local population of Japan as well as on the Allied soldiers and prisoners of war. The exhibition presents over 115 vintage prints, which also include selected highlights from his career as a renowned Hollywood photographer from the 1930s through 1970s.

About the Exhibition The exhibition and accompanying catalogue honor John Swope’s original intention of bringing together his timeless, powerful photographs with the emotional text of a letter he wrote from Japan to his wife, actress Dorothy McGuire. Individual images are juxtaposed with short excerpts in both the exhibition and the catalogue. Published by the Hammer Museum, the catalogue also reprints the entire 144-page letter for the first time.

In addition to the Japanese series, the exhibition presents a selection of Swope’s earlier and subsequent work in photojournalism and portraiture that further reflect his striking ability to encapsulate a range of universal human experiences in photographs. Early on, Swope (1908-1979) became best known for his insider views of Hollywood in which he captured both the glamorous and the mundane sides of life through intimate portraits of celebrities and behind-the scenes views of movie and theatrical productions. He went on to have a successful career as a freelance Life magazine photographer, where he frequently covered similar stories on Hollywood.

Alongside the photographs, A Letter from Japan presents books and magazines, in which Swope’s work was originally published, the photographer’s personal documents and letters, his camera, and other ephemera. The exhibition includes significant loans from the John Swope Trust, Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, Craig Krull Gallery, Ben Stiller, and other private collections.

Hammer Museum 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat 11am-7 pm Thu 11am-9 pm Sun 11am-5 pm  $5 Adults, $3 Seniors (65+) and UCLA Alumni Association Members with ID, Free for Museum members, students with ID, UCLA faculty and staff, and visitors 17 and under accompanied by an adult. Free on Thursdays for all visitors

For more information please contact

Hammer Museum Tel: 310.443.7000, hammerinfo@arts.ucla.edu, www.hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions_upcoming.htm

Last weekend I went to:

The Japanese American Museum of San Jose. A lot of information crammed into a small space. Hope their plans to expand work out.

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Links to selected articles from the LA Times. To actually access the articles, you may have to sign up for a free account.

Hamza El Din, 76; Musician Popularized North Africa's Ancient Traditional Songs

From Times Staff and Wire Reports

May 30, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-din30may30,1,2910326.story

Corporate Giants Pressure Japan's Politicians to Stop Visiting War Shrine

Executives say the pilgrimages threaten the nation's business relations with China.