April 2017
Going Gray in LA: How are Seniors Faring in the Big City?
You have heard the compelling stories on KCRW, now join us for the live experience of Going Gray in LA with documentarians (and husband and wife team) Ruxandra Guidi and Roberto (Bear) Guerra and KCRW’s Jonathan Bastian. Sunday, April 9th at The Japanese American National Museum 2pm: Grab a complimentary beer or wine as you follow Ruxandra and Bear’s yearlong journey documenting an 18 mile avenue stretch of Los Angeles’ Broadway in the Going Gray in LA photography exhibit. Their photographs cut through the working class heart of the city; from Lincoln Heights, into Chinatown,…
Find out more »September 2017
Transpacific Borderlands: The Art of Japanese Diaspora in Lima, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and São Paulo
Transpacific Borderlands: The Art of Japanese Diaspora in Lima, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and São Paulo will examine the experiences of artists of Japanese ancestry born, raised, or living in either Latin America or predominantly Latin American neighborhoods of Southern California. By looking at the work of Japanese Latin American artists, the exhibition will show how ethnic communities, racial mixing, and the concepts of homeland and cosmopolitanism inform the creativity and aesthetics of this hybrid culture. Transpacific Borderlands is part of Pacific Standard…
Find out more »October 2017
Transpacific Musiclands Outdoor Concert
Join us for an exciting outdoor concert event with performers from Latin America, Japan, and Los Angeles, held in conjunction with the exhibition, Transpacific Borderlands: The Art of Japanese Diaspora in Lima, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and São Paulo. Featured acts will include Quetzal and El Haru Kuroi, two Afro-Latino jazz-rock fusion bands from East Los Angeles; La Chamba, a Los Angeles–based band with Peruvian and psychedelic roots; and members of Conjunto J, a group from Japan that plays Mexican border…
Find out more »November 2017
JANM Free Family Days: We Love LA
In conjunction with Transpacific Borderlands: The Art of Japanese Diaspora in Lima, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and São Paulo, JANM presents a family-friendly day celebrating the diverse mix of cultures that make up Los Angeles. ALL DAY ACTIVITIES: Springtime in Japan Create your own cherry blossom mobile to hang in your home, inspired by Prunusplastus, Erica Kaminishi’s stunning homage to Japan’s famous cherry blossom season. Lunchbox Style What pictures or designs would you put on your lunchbox? Take a look at Shizu Saldamando’s cool drawings…
Find out more »January 2018
Oshogatsu Family Festival
Welcome the Year of the Dog with crafts, food, cultural activities, and performances. Highlights of the day will include a traditional mochitsuki performance (Japanese rice pounding ritual) by Kodama Taiko, lucky zaru soba (cold buckwheat noodles), candy sculptures by Shan the Candyman, origami, and a souvenir photo booth. Oshogatsu Family Festival Sunday, January 7, 2018 11 a.m. -- 5 p.m.
Find out more »February 2018
Our Man in Tokyo (The Ballad of Shin Miyata)
Join us for the premiere screening of a new documentary film exploring the struggles and obsessions of Shin Miyata, a Tokyo–based record label owner, music promoter, and cultural ambassador who has been distributing Chicano music and bringing East Los Angeles bands to Japan for nearly 20 years. The film explores Miyata’s personal connection to East LA, the joys and difficulties of introducing authentic and diverse representations of Chicano culture to Japan, and the conscious efforts Miyata has made to break…
Find out more »Transpacific Borderlands Artists Talk
On the closing day of Transpacific Borderlands: The Art of Japanese Diaspora in Lima, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and São Paulo, join exhibition curator Clement Hanami and exhibiting artist Shinpei Takeda for a conversation on social representation and cultural context across borders. How do borderlands function as a space for exchanging ideas and culture? How do artworks take on new cultural and historical meanings when displayed to a new audience? What is the role of the artist and his/her practice? The…
Find out more »May 2018
Halfway There! Community Celebration
Join in celebrating the construction progress of the Regional Connector Transit Project. Come out for FREE family fun, art-making, workshops, music, dance performances and more. Take the Metro Gold Line to the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station and enjoy an afternoon filled with performances from local musicians, art-making with Metro artists, raffles and so much more. This event is free and open to the public. RSVP today! Facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/198257547630764/ Project page https://www.metro.net/projects/connector/halfway-there-free-community-event/
Find out more »August 2018
Natsumatsuri Family Festival
Join us for our annual summer celebration featuring Japanese and Japanese American performances, crafts, and activities. Highlights will include performances by TAIKOPROJECT and the Asia America American Youth Symphony Jazz Quartet, three traditional Japanese tea ceremonies, and paper lantern origami. http://www.janm.org/events/2018/natsumatsuri/
Find out more »October 2018
Outdoor Movie Night: Godzilla
JANM presents the granddaddy of all monster movies, the original 1954 Japanese Godzilla (a.k.a. Gojira)! Made at a time when Japan was still recovering from the World War II atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this remarkably human drama has spawned more than 30 remakes and sequels. Don’t miss this opportunity to see the rampaging radioactive beast destroy an intricately detailed miniature of Tokyo. Presented in partnership with Haunted Little Tokyo. Supported by Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Screened in…
Find out more »November 2018
JANM Free Family Days: Superheroes!
This full day of crafts, performances, and other activities will be inspired by real-life heroes—military veterans—as well as the fictional characters of our Kaiju vs Heroes: Mark Nagata’s Journey through the World of Japanese Toys exhibition. Sponsored by Dwight Stuart Youth Fund. Link to: http://www.janm.org/events/familyfestivals/
Find out more »January 2019
Oshogatsu Family Festival
Welcome the Year of the Boar with crafts, food, cultural activities, and performances. Highlights of the day will include a traditional mochitsuki performance (Japanese rice pounding ritual) by Kodama Taiko, lucky zaru soba (cold buckwheat noodles), candy sculptures by Shan the Candyman, origami, and a souvenir photo booth.
Find out more »June 2019
Kaiju-Con
Kaiju-Con Saturday, June 15, 2019 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Japanese American National Museum 100 N. Central Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90012 In conjunction with its Kaiju vs Heroes exhibition, JANM is hosting a day-long Kaiju-Con that will include a vendor hall, workshops, panel discussions, and demonstrations all related to kaiju and Japanese toys. The day will culminate in a special free outdoor screening at 8:30 p.m., on JANM’s plaza, of Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964). Purchase tickets by 5 p.m. PT on Friday, June 14, for one-hour early…
Find out more »July 2019
Building the Asian American Movement: Then and Now
Museums are increasingly adding social and political activism to their schedules of events. A panel at the Japanese-American museum in Little Tokyo will take a cross-generational look at the challenges and opportunities Asian American communities face as they continue to grow and engage in political action around causes including the fight against gentrification, organizing immigrant workers and other political campaigns. Eddie Wong, co-founder of Visual Communications, the first Asian Pacific American media organization in the country, will highlight the visual dimensions of protest, and…
Find out more »August 2019
Natsumatsuri Family Festival
Join us for our annual summer celebration featuring Japanese and Japanese American performances, crafts, and activities. Craft activities will include origami, shave ice suncatchers, and JANM’s ever-popular paper hat making. Visitors will also be able to sample saataa andaagii(deep-fried Okinawan pastries), participate in a bon odori community dance, and enjoy two book readings. Kishin Daiko will perform, as will gayageum player Joyce Kwon. Exhibitions on view for Natsumatsuri include At First Light: The Dawning of Asian Pacific America, on view through October 20, and JANM’s…
Find out more »Full Circle—Mitsuye Yamada’s Book Release Celebration and Multigenerational Poetry Reading
Included with JANM admission -- $16 adults, $7 for youth, students, and seniors Poet, essayist, educator, activist, and foremother of Asian American feminism, Mitsuye Yamada will read from her newest collection of poetry, Full Circle: New and Selected Poems. The celebration will also uplift the voices of generations of other Japanese American women writers, including special guests Diane Fujino, Miya Iwataki, Amy Uyematsu, Brynn Saito, and Diana Tsuchida. Live music by Kyoko Takenaka will accompany the dynamic readings. The program…
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