FYI for all my rice daddies, rice mamas, and rice kiddies in the LA area: the Japanese American National Museum in downtown LA (369 East First St., LA 90012; 213-625-0414) is holding its 8th Annual Courtyard Kids Family Festival this Saturday, August 12, from 1 to 7 p.m. This year's theme is "Every Day is Children's Day," and the arts and crafts, play area, book readings and signings, and musical performances are free [food and admission to the museum galleries are extra, however].
The festivities include a book signing by hapa artiste-provocateur-extraordinaire Kip Fulbeck, of his hapa portrait study "part asian • 100% hapa," the exhibit of which the JANM is hosting concurrently.
Also on hand to sign books will be the author of the marketing-tie-in novel for Jess, American Girl's hapa nikkeijin Girl of the Year. You can even enter a raffle to win a Jess doll! Heh. [If you don't remember my reaction to Jess, and to American Girl in general, here's a link to my post from April, and a link to an article in the JACL's Pacific Citizen newspaper that quotes your truly on the issue.]
In all seriousness, for those living in or visiting the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, my dear hometown, the JANM is great place to stop by. I've been a member since the museum opened, and once, in an early exhibit on America's concentration camps, we even found my grandfather in a group photo from Tule Lake. The museum's website hosts an interactive children's section called the "JANM Kids Bento Box," and in conjunction with the hapa photo exhibit, Target is hosting several "Free Family Saturdays" with special activities and free admission to the museum (Sept. 9, Oct. 14, and Nov. 11).
ADDENDUM: Eliaday just reminded me that LA's Little Tokyo is also hosting the soy-licious annual LA Tofu Festival both days this weekend, so check out the website for more info. Befitting the festival motto "It's Hip to be Square," they've got everybody from Blackalicious rocking Saturday night's concert to cooking demos with the o.g. Iron Chef himself, Masaharu Morimoto (and others). [Eliaday writes that she and baby Tae rocked both the Tofu Festival and the JANM Courtyard Kids Family Festival last year—check it out here.]
2 comments:
I LOVE the JANM. I've also been a member since before it was built. My kids' names are in the courtyard bricks, and my dad's is in the 442 Memorial. What a great place. I only wish we lived closer so I could visit all the time.
Just a heads-up, there's also going to be a big anti-war protest in downtown L.A. that day, so you may hit some traffic.
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