Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at the Smithsonian
The Smithsonian invites the public to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month throughout May with a series of performances, lectures, exhibitions, family activities and tours at various museums around the Smithsonian. All programs are free unless otherwise indicated.
Feature Event
The Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Center will present “CrossLines: A Culture Lab on Intersectionality” May 28–29, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Arts and Industries Building. The Smithsonian’s first “culture lab” features activities, interactive art and performances by more than 40 artists and scholars presenting new perspectives on identity. The event will include internationally renowned painter Roger Shimomura and local favorites SUPERWAXX and No Kings Collective.
The National Museum of the American Indian will present “Mālama Honua: Hōkūle’a Worldwide Voyage” May 28–29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A weekend-long celebration of the Hawaiian outrigger canoe, the hōkūle’a, visitors to the museum will have the opportunity to meet canoe navigators, enjoy Hawaiian music and visit a “pop-up planetarium.”
Films
The National Museum of the American Indian will screen The Navigators: Pathfinders of the Pacific Friday, May 13; Papa Mau: The Wayfinder Saturday, May 14; Stories from Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage Sunday, May 15, and Voyage: Ola I Ke Au A Kanaloa Monday, May 16. All films will be shown at noon. The films include documentaries and a short video series and cover a range of topics.
On Sunday, May 22, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery will screen two films as part of Korean Film Festival DC: Right Now, Wrong Then, the winner of the Golden Leopard at the 2015 Locarno International Film Festival, will be shown at 1 p.m. This twice-told tale is the latest triumph from Hong Sang-soo, Korean’s master of intricate comedy-drama. It will be followed by My Love, Don’t Cross That River at 3:30 p.m. This documentary about a charming elderly couple is the highest-grossing independent movie in Korean history. Both films will be shown in the National Museum of American History’s Warner Bros. Theater.
The Anacostia Community Museum will present April 1968: Through Chinatown’s Eyes Saturday, May 21, at 11:30 a.m. This short film looks at the civil unrest and violence following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and its profound impact on all of Washington, D.C., including Chinatown, which found itself caught between black and white. The film will be followed by a panel discussion featuring filmmaker Penny Lee.
Performance
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery will present “Painting with Music: Bell Yung” Friday, May 13 at 1 p.m.; Saturday, May 14, at noon and 3 p.m.; and Sunday, May 15, at 1 p.m. Visitors to the gallery will learn about the music of China’s Ming period and hear it performed by a master of the qin.
The Anacostia Community Museum will present the Helen Sung Trio Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m. Sung has worked with jazz greats Clark Terry, Ron Carter and Wayne Shorter. This New York-based pianist will present a live performance of jazz standards accompanied by her band.
Bring the Kids
Young visitors and their families can drop into the National Portrait Gallery for “Young Portrait Explorers: Maya Lin” Monday, May 9 at 10:30 a.m. This educational program for young children looks at art and history through storytelling, with a focus on Maya Lin, sculptor of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Registration is required http://www.eventbrite.com/org/810710525.
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery will host “Korea Day” Saturday, May 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A family festival that explores Korean culture through activities, musical performances, taekwondo demonstrations and storybook readings by D.C. Public Library staff.
Exhibitions
“E Mau Ke Ea: The Sovereign Hawaiian Nation” is on view at the National Museum of the American Indian, developed by the museum in close collaboration with Hawaiian scholars, activists and community leaders, the exhibition uses artifacts, photographs, documents, music and video to examine Hawaii’s contested past and the possibilities of its future.
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery presents “Painting with Words: Gentleman Artists of the Ming Dynasty.” Visitors can view poetry, painting and calligraphy by a talented group of artists from the Ming period (1368–1644).
All Asian Pacific American month programs at the Smithsonian are subject to change. Unless otherwise indicated, Smithsonian Heritage Month programs are free. For general Smithsonian information, the public may call 202-633-1000.
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SI-205-2016
