Smithsonian Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

The Smithsonian celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May with a series of lectures, performances and films at museums around the Institution. All programs are free unless otherwise indicated.

Feature Event
The Smithsonian kicks off Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with a family day Saturday, May 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery. The day focuses on the exhibition “The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps, 1942-1946,” which showcases arts and crafts made by Japanese Americans in U.S. internment camps during World War II. The event features exhibition-themed stories and traditional folktales from Anne Shimojima, music and dance performances by Nen Daiko and the Kikuyuki Dancers of America, traditional games, crafts and a scavenger hunt.

Festival
The National Museum of the American Indian presents the fourth annual “Celebrate Hawai’i Festival,” from Saturday, May 29, through Monday, May 31. The festival honors the arts and culture of Hawai’i, particularly the hula, with a series of programs. The lecture “The Natural World of the Hula” is held Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30, at 2 p.m. at the museum’s Rasmuson Theater. Samuel M. ‘Ohukani‘ōhi‘a Gon III discusses the symbolism of the hula and how it relates to the land and sea.

A “Hawaiian Cooking Demonstration” is held Saturday, May 29, through Monday, May 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the National Museum of the American Indian. Join Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe executive chef Richard Hetzler for a demonstration of the art of Hawaiian cooking in the outdoor Akaloa Fire Pit. Rain location: Potomac Atrium.

Lectures
The National Museum of American History features “A Conversation with Jennifer 8. Lee” Saturday, May 8, at 2 p.m. in the museum’s Carmichael Auditorium. Jennifer 8. Lee (in China, the number eight is good luck) talks about her obsession with Chinese food and how Chinese food became all-American. She is author of the book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.

Andrew Lam, editor at New America Media,discusses his experiences as a second-generation Vietnamese American and signs copies of his book Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora during the lecture “Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon: The Vietnamese American Diaspora.” The lecture is held Friday, May 14, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the National Museum of the American Indian’s Rasmuson Theater. Lam is joined by Lan Cao, professor of law at the College of William and Mary, and author of the book Monkey Bridge.

Performance
“Da Capo Chamber Players: Music of Chinary Ung” is held at the Freer Gallery of Art’s Meyer Auditorium Thursday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m. Ung is the first American composer to win the prestigious Grawemeyer Award. Born in Cambodia, Ung has written works for the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Guest artists Lucy Shelton (soprano), William Anderson (guitar), Matthew Gold and Alex Lipowski (percussion) and conductor Michael Adelson join the Da Capo Chamber Players. Go to http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/heritage_month/event_calendar.html#/?i=2. A pre-concert gallery tour of the exhibition “East Meet West” begins at 6:45 p.m.

Film
The National Museum of the American Indian presents “Dinner and a Movie: Heart of the Sea Kapolioka’ehukai” Saturday, May 29, at 7 p.m. in the Rasmuson Theater. Heart of the Sea (57 minutes, 2002) recounts the life of championship Hawaiian surfer Rell Kapolioka’ehukai Sunn, who paved the way for women in a sport dominated by men. It is preceded by the short film Haku Inoa: To Weave a Name.Reservations begin May 1. Go to www.AmericanIndian.si.edu. Dinner in the museum’s Mitsitam Native Food Cafe is served from 5 to 7 p.m.

Bring the Kids
The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery features a scavenger hunt daily from May 1 – 31, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Families can discover stunning works of decorative arts and crafts by Asian Pacific Americans as they try to win a prize. A scavenger hunt kit is available at the information desk.

“My Family’s Shrine, My Family’s Culture” is held at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Saturdays, May 1 and 22, at 2 p.m. Members of the local Tibetan community talk about the family shrines on display in the Sackler Gallery’s education classroom. Learn how and why particular items were placed in the shrines.

The Smithsonian Associates presents “‘Kodomono Hi’” Children’s Day” Tuesday, May 5, at 10:15 and 11:30 a.m. in the S. Dillon Ripley Center’s Discovery Theater. Participants can celebrate this Japanese national holiday with the Shizumi Kodomo Dance Theater, a troupe of talented young performers in traditional kimono dress. This program is recommended children for ages 5 through 10. Tickets are required: Resident Associate members, $4; general admission: $6 for adults, $5 for children. Call (202) 633-3030.

Demonstration
The National Museum of Natural History presents its annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Arts & Crafts Festival Friday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This fun-filled day of arts-and-crafts demonstrations includes Laotian knot tying and banana-leaf folding, Chinese paper folding, Indian Rangoli designs, Japanese doll making, Korean calligraphy and fiber art, Mongolian watercolor work and mask making, Philippine weaving and Thai soap and fruit carving.

Tour
Throughout the month of May, the Smithsonian American Art Museum offers daily highlights tours at 12:30 and 2 p.m. The tours feature works by Asian American artists such as Nam June Paik, Isamu Noguchi and Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Meet in the F Street lobby.

All programs are subject to change. For more information about the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month programs, visit: www.SmithsonianEducation.org/Heritage or e-mail heritagemonths@si.edu. For general Smithsonian information, call (202) 633-1000 or (202) 633-5285 (TTY).

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SI-178-2010