June Events
June 3, at 5 - 9 PM
MATCHA: The Shanghai Dress
Tonight's Asian Art Museum MATCHA is inspired by the stylish and sexy qipao, the signature dress of 1930s Shanghai that's featured in the movies In the Mood for Love and Lust, Caution. Shanghai-born and Bay-Area-bred custom designer Jane Zhu narrates a show of her gorgeous qipao and explains the history and intricacies of the iconic garment. Zhu's creations, a favorite of brides and spotlighted in Vogue, Elle and other publications in China, have visible zippers and other updated and chic details. Museum visitors can also learn to make traditional Chinese buttons,
At the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., San Francisco. Tickets $10. Visit www.asianart.org or call 415-581-3500.
June 6, at 11 AM & 2 PM
Shanghai Film Series: The Jews of Shanghai
Shanghai emerged in the 1920s as China’s first film capital and today hosts one of Asia’s largest annual film festivals. Showing today at the Asian Art Museum, at 11 AM: A Place to Save Your Life (1994), about Jews living in Japanese-occupied China; 52 minutes, in English. At 2 PM: Shanghai Ghetto (2002), narrated by Martin Landau, which examines Jewish refugees' relationships with local Shanghainese and with the occupying Japanese troops, plus the fate of their relatives who remained in Europe; 95 minutes, in various languages with English subtitles. A program of Target First Free Sunday.
At the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., San Francisco. Visit www.asianart.org or call 415-581-3500.
June 8 - July 10
Gold Standard: Nine Asian/American Modernist Artists
Vintage paintings and works on paper by nine Asian and Asian-American artists who fused traditional Asian art and Western avant-garde elements. These modernists, who worked in California in the 1960s and 1970s, include Ruth Asawa, George Miyasaki and three natives of Shanghai. Opening reception on June 12, at 5-7 pm. Presented by the Togonon Gallery.
At Togonon Gallery, 77 Geary St., 2nd Flr., San Francisco. Visit www.togonongallery.com or call 415-398-5572.
June 8 - August 27
Economica: Women & the Global Economy
This exhibit illuminates how women interact with money – as earners, consumers, caretakers and decision makers in households, corporations, governments, multinational banks and elsewhere. Featured are the works of a photographer from Shanghai and other international artists. Presented by the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery and the International Museum of Women.
At City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco. Free. Visit http://www.sfartscommission.org/gallery or call 415-554-6080.
June 11,
at 6 – 10:30 PM
2010 Ethnic Dance Festival Benefit Gala
The Chanticleer ensemble sings Spring Dreams by acclaimed Chinese composer Chen Yi, as Crystal Lee performs choreography by China Dance School and Theatre, created specifically for this gala. Taught pronunciation by Chen and others, Chanticleer will sing in Shanghainese. The all-male ensemble, part of the official San Francisco delegation going to the World Expo, will present concerts in Shanghai in late June. Tonight’s gala, featuring stunning dance and music pieces, benefits the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.
At the Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St., San Francisco. Tickets: $50, $125. Visit City Box Office or call World Arts West, 415-474-3914.
June 24, at 6 - 7:30 PM
ShanghaiPRIDE 2009: Shanghai’s First Gay Pride Festival
In 2009, a volunteer group called ShanghaiLGBT planned and pulled off what became internationally recognized as Shanghai’s first gay pride festival. The week-long celebration sparked controversy in the Chinese and international communities, and after arguments with the police, fear of cancellation and a surprise turn by China’s state-owned media, the festival was a milestone that lay the groundwork for future pride celebrations in China—which many people thought would never happen. Hannah Miller, founder of ShanghaiLGBT and organizer of ShanghaiPRIDE 2009, talks about Shanghai’s gay scene and what a visible LGBT community means for China’s future.
At San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco. Free. Visit www.sfpl.org or call 415-557-4277.
June 24, at 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Forbidden City: The Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs
Trina Robbins reads from her new book Forbidden City: The Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs, about people who performed in San Francisco’s flourishing Chinese nightclubs in the late 1930s to the late 1960s. Joining her are members of Grant Avenue Follies, a troupe formed in the 1950s by professional Chinatown nightclub dancers. Presented by the Asian Art Museum and the Art Deco Society.
At the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., San Francisco. Visit www.asianart.org or call 415-581-3500.
June 26, at 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Art Speak Exhibition Opening
Meet a talented, new generation of artists at the first-ever Art Speak exhibition! The Shanghai Lounge at the Asian Art Museum will be happening—with cool, emerging artists, cutting-edge art and an AsiaAlive artist demonstration by Gene Yang.
At the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., San Francisco. Free with museum admission. Visit www.asianart.org or call 415-581-3500.
June 26 & 27, at 12 - 4 PM
AsiaAlive: Comics
Award-winning comic artist Gene Yang talks about his creative process and love for the comic medium, in this presentation by the Asian Art Museum.
At the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., San Francisco. Free with museum admission. Visit www.asianart.org or call 415-581-3500.
June 26- September 11
Shanghai Lounge
Drop by the Shanghai Lounge at the Asian Art Museum to view creations by Art Speak youth from San Francisco and Shanghai.
At the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., San Francisco. Free with museum admission. Visit www.asianart.org or call 415-581-3500.
