SoCal Minds

For the weekend, 3 turns at matters Japanese, sort of

From the Japanese American National Museum, Pacific Asia Museum & CSULB

Let's take a Japanese turn for things to do to get out in a promised warming break from the persistent July gray. In Little Tokyo, there will be a Saturday afternoon screening of a Sansei son's discoveries about what exactly his daddy and some other unsung Japanese Americans did during the Great War, a film about how, while their own families were incarcerated and under suspicion by authorities, a group of skilled linguists and soon-to-be broadcasters beamed U.S. propaganda, 'Calling on Tokyo' to undermine the morale of the then-Japanese enemy. In Pasadena, this could be a perfect weekend to catch up on a just-opened photographic exhibit, 'One Hundred Not so Famous Views of LA,'  artist Barbara Thomason's take on Hiroshige's famed woodblock collection, 'One Hundred Famous Views of Edo' (now Tokyo, of course). And on Sunday, especially if the weather turns fine, how about a day in the Earl Miller Long Beach Japanese gardens, where 40 local experts will demonstrate the art of origami (paper folding) and there will be calligraphy lessons as part of the weekend celebration of Tanabata, the 'Star Festival.' 

Photo: 'Broadway Train Tracks' by Barbara Thomason, on exhibit in Pasadena

A weekend of Dead Sea scrolls, dumplings, iconic furniture

From Azusa Pacific, Pacific Asia Museum, Southwestern Law & the Huntington

Because some schedule challenges with work may prevent Friday postings, just a little jump on the usual weekend roundup of stuff worth taking in.

Of course, for those who aren't tired of hearing about it already and who want to meet and learn more about the candidates seeking posts in the June 8 Superior Court races in LA County, well, get over to the historic Bullock's Wilshire building in Koreatown for a free, open, public forum starting at 5:30 this afternoon.

• The marquee weekend event, much mentioned here and elsewhere, for those fascinated by Scripture, the Bible and other Christian writing will be the display in Azusa of various biblical 'treasures,' including fragments of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls (as shown in photo at right). The exhibit, for which reserved tickets must be purchased, opens on Friday and runs through July 18.

Click here for more info on 'Treasures of the Bible: the Dead Sea Scrolls and Beyond'

Scripture's Beautiful Past from Azusa Pacific on Vimeo.

•  In San Marino on Saturday, a major, traveling exhibit opens of American Arts and Crafts furniture artisan Charles Rohlfs. Curators say his complex, compelling creations (including some scroll work from one piece, as shown at left) put him in the fore of modernist design with such iconic figures as Frank Lloyd Wright and Gustav Stickley. Because his work draws from such broad, varying traditions, however, Rohlfs has defied easy description and categorization, which has kept him out of wider public acclaim. This exhibit will be open until Sept. 6 when it closes and moves on to the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Click here for more information on 'Artistic Furniture of Charles Rohlfs'

• In Pasadena, there will be a different lure on Saturday for fanciers of the arts and culture of Asia -- a chance to wolf down dumplings for a prize. They museum, in cooperation with the folks who run the Dumpling Station and its mobile kitchen in a dumpling truck (as seen in photo at right), will present a dumpling festival and contest. With music, drinks and games, those partaking of the program also can watch six hungry contestants try to eat 50 dumplings within two minutes. The winner will receive a $50 VISA gift card, tee shirt and Pacific Asia Museum membership.They're picking prospects from among a pool of folks who e-mail them to enter at: dumplingstation626@gmail.com.

Click here, scroll down calendar to see more info on 'Pasadena Dumpling Festival'

A Two-Fer: Track Samurai, See Anime Fest

From the Pacific Asia Museum

Here's a chance to take advantage of a two-fer and catch up Thursday on some cultural /pop culture and international history, as well as enjoy entertainment on a summer's evening. First, explore a running -- and soon to end -- exhibit on the iconic samurai. See how tradition surrounding the renegade-cum-noble Japanese swordsmen has kept pace into modernity, through literature, movies and art, from the stylized ukiyo-e drawings to manga (comics) and anime (animation). Then, for the $9 general admission price of gallery admission, bring along a beach chair, blanket, maybe a picnic and pull up for an outdoor courtyard final series program of TV Night at the Anime Film Festival. It will feature critic and graphic art expert Charles Solomon, as well as showings of Jubei Chan: The Ninja Girl, Samurai Champloo, Rurouni Kenshin and Peacemaker. The vids may be unsuitable for kids younger than 13.

Illustration: Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki from animation production cel lent by Charles Solomon

Information on 'The Samurai Re-Imagined'

Click Here to See Full Museum Events Calendar