Saturday, February 11 - April 20, 2006

design by EXOATMOSPHERIC. provide award-winning graphic design for print and the web. For more information please visit www.exoatmospheric.com. Photograph of Sabrina Hou of Peony Performing Arts by Bob Hsiang.

The Unsung Opera:
A personal journey and dynamic interpretation of Chinese Opera by Chinese American artists. 

Curated by artist Nancy Hom, the exhibit features large format color digital prints by photographer Bob Hsiang on Beijing and Kunqu opera styles in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area in 2004 and 2005. Also shown will be memorabilia and artifacts from family collections.

Exhibit runs February 11 to April 20, 2006 at the Chinese Center, 3rd Floor, in the San Francisco Public Library Main Library

Related Events:

February 11, 2006
Opening Program
1:00 PM Exhibit tour with photographer Bob Hsiang
Chinese Center, 3rd Floor, Main Library
2:00 PM Introduction by Bob Hsiang, with special guest speakers Alpha and Emily Chiang from the Chinese Opera Association of New York, followed by a Kunqu Opera performance by Sabrina Hou of Peony Performing Arts.
Koret Auditorium, Lower Level, Main Library

February 15, 2006
Demonstration of the Art & Movement of Kunqu Opera
1:00 PM Hands-on workshop designed for youth, led by Sabrina Hou of Peony Performing Arts, featuring an exploration of the makeup, costumes and movements of the Kunqu Opera. 
Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room, Lower Level, Main Library

February 21, 2006
Poetry as Opera
6:30 PM A reading with acclaimed playwright, poet, and performance artist Genny Lim of her original works drawn from and inspired by Chinese opera. Accompanied by music educator, composer and performing artist Hong Wong of the musical ensemble, Melody of China.
Koret Auditorium, Lower Level, Main Library

About the artists

Bob Hsiang has photographed key Asian American cultural landmarks for over 30 years. His mission is to archive a visual history of an Asian American community developing its own identity. His documentation of Asian American art and culture in the San Francisco Bay Area has become an important part of Asian American history.

Sabrina Hou graduated from the Beijing Conservatory of Opera and held the seat of lead actress in the Beijing Northern Kunqu Opera Theater from 1988-1997. She is an award-winning Kunqu opera singer, and has lectured extensively on the art of Kunqu opera.

Genny Lim is an accomplished San Francisco based poet, vocalist, performer and playwright. She is on the faculty of New College of California, University of Creation Spirituality, and Naropa Institute.

Hong Wang is a performing artist, music educator and composer. As a specialist who plays both many Chinese traditional and western instruments, Hong has made numerous recordings of Chinese folk music, often traveling to remote villages to document his country's rich heritage of ancient regional music. His work has been published internationally.

Nancy Hom is an artist, writer, organizer, and arts administrator with over 30 years of experience in the non-profit arts field. As an artist, curator, and organizer, she has worked in many communities in San Francisco and was executive director for Kearny Street Workshop.

More about the Unsung Opera

Kearny Street Workshop and The Chinese Center of The San Francisco Public Library present The Unsung Opera, a personal journey and dynamic interpretation of Chinese Opera by Chinese American artists. Curated by artist Nancy Hom, the exhibit features large format color digital prints by photographer Bob Hsiang on Beijing and Kunqu opera styles in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area in 2004 and 2005. Aside from performances, Bob’s images will also include a behind the scenes look at the lives of its practitioners. To augment original photography, he will include excerpted interviews of artists and scholars, and archival images and personal artifacts to give the exhibition a historical context.

Along with the photographs, there will be auxiliary events, including a special Kunqu Opera performance by Sabrina Hou of Peony Performing Arts, a hands-on workshop designed for youth led by Sabrina, and a reading with acclaimed playwright, poet, and performance artist Genny Lim of her original works drawn from and inspired by Chinese opera. Genny will be accompanied by music educator, composer and performing artist Hong Wang of the musical ensemble, Melody of China.

The Unsung Opera is about honoring ancestors. Lead artist Robert (Bob) Hsiang’s father, S.W. Hsiang, was a master in the kunqu style of Chinese opera, an ancient art form that is kept alive by a small but dedicated group of artists who have helped spawn a renewed interest in the various provincial operatic forms on an international level. Inspired by his father’s life and work, Bob’s goal in this project is to photograph the unseen story of a representative group of immigrants from Mainland China, some of whom survived the wartime experiences of pre-revolutionary China and developed their appreciation and devotion to Chinese opera. Through captivating images, sounds, and movement, The Unsung Opera promises to provide audiences with a fresh intimate look on this topic.

february 23, 2006
commotion: a CD release, community arts expo & launch of ksw store

co-presented by MANJA

design by Amy Lam of mobile republic

a cd release!
artist tables!
live music! (GOH NAKAMURA! EE! GOLDA SUPERNOVA! DJVNA! SAMBASIA! DJ TORO! others!)
drinks & things!
ksw store!
djs & stuff!
reasons to justify the otherwise obnoxious overuse of exclamation points!

celebrate ksw community on thursday, february 23rd at commotion.

join ksw and local artists for ksw's 7 years of APAture cd release and community arts expo event. featuring musical performances by:

Goh Nakamura
Ee
Golda Supernova
DJ VNA
SambAsia
and DJ TORO

you'll also have the chance to browse the wares and artwork of ksw and local artists throughout the evening, while enjoying the vibe and imbibing fine liquid concessions. Live performances by bands and artists featured on the cd, DJs, artist tables, concessions, and more. save the date and hope to see you there.

Date: Thursday, February 23rd, 2006

Time: doors open 6.30pm; arts expo, performances, and dj until 11.30pm

Location: 180 Capp Street, @17th Street (San Francisco)

Cost: admission is free. 7 years of APAture cd, and other merchandise and artwork from ksw and local artists will be available for sale.

table artists include:

Made by Cat Huang: Hand-crafted jewelry using semi-precious gemstones, sterling silver, and a lot of artistic flair. Also selling the Booty Bag for ladies on the go.
Antihipster by Myla Ablog : Organic and Sweatshop-free T-shirts.
SFlocal by Niana Liu: San Francisco local painting/photograph prints. $1 SFlocal postcards--see some work here.
My Windup Bird by Wendy Fong: Hand-screened tshirts for gals and guys.
LiP Magazine: A quarterly US and Canadian magazine devoted to radical politics, culture, sex, and humor. There will be copies of LiP (sliding scale, free to $5 per), as well as other promotional items related to LiP.
Mai Le: One of a kind plush art, featuring the "hi" series of brooches and take away friends. 
Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble: DVD, released in 2001 called Dekada, which was LIKHA 10th Anniversary show at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco selling for $25 each--preview on a TV! Music instruments, photos, costumes on display. 
Piximix: Hip, character-based apparel.
SLC Jewelry: Sandra L. Coleman makes beautiful hand-crafted beaded earrings that are perfect for everyday or dressing up.
Too Old For APAture But Not Dead Yet: Older Asian American Writers: Books by Genny Lim, Flo Oy Wong, Shizue Seigel, Bill Wong, Nellie Wong, Joy Morimoto (“The Sox Kitashima Story”). Video by Canyon Sam. Vespertine Press literary journal. Japanese Cultural and Community Center’s “Generations” and “From Our Side of the Fence.”
Kendra Lock: Boa Bags – colorful, artsy, fun handbags with boa fringe.  Boa Wine/Candy Caddies – again…colorful arty things with boa fringe! 
eenani by Elani Chan: handmade unique wallets made from one of a kind prints and recycled materials. Also featuring supercute salivating sushi magnets! 
Pokiedot by Josie Schimke : Cat hats, panda hats, bunny hats and bear hats, fake fur poi, wallets, bags and other silly stuff! 
Valerie Low: Handmade earrings using 14k gold-filled or Sterling Silver and stone or Swarovski Crystal accents. Gift packaging available using handmade cards. 
Kim Weinberg: Each is an original painting that begins with an ink pen. An overlay of water or coffee activates the ink, bleeding and spreading the line. It is a process of layered improvisation.
Leslie Designs by Leslie Yee-Murata: Asian inspired pendants, earrings and bracelets of semi precious stones, shell, wood, bone.
Carved and metal Symbolic Charms are key elements. Hand knotted cords complete the look.
Bodhi Yogi by Ali Guida: Yoga mat bags made in raw silk. The bags  benefit a local Tibetan ex-political prisoner group in Dharamsala, India.
Sig Hafstrom: Beautiful, easy to wear jewelry hand made of silver and glass, as well as cozy scarfs, fun hair clips, and other accessories. 
Angel Kubo: Paintings on canvas or other materials.
Snailwing by Charlise Tiee: A weekly acrylic and paper painting project focused on word play and whimsy.
Mimosa Studio by Regina Marie Vista: Handmade jewelry using semi-precious stones, sterling silver and gold fill materials.
James Espinas of Canopy Hill: The DVD of Bloodlines chronicles the 2003 medical mission of the Philippine Medical Society of Northern California (PMSNC). Special features include news footage from Balitang America about the medical mission and the world premiere of the film. Also available is the music of Bloodlines by filipino band, Tribu.
Paula Thomas: Women’s T-shirts 
SambAsia
DJ VNA

and more!

are you an artist or member of an artist collective interested in registering for table space at the expo? please contact info@kearnystreet.org or 415.503.0520 for more information.

more details to come! check our website for updates, or contact KSW for more information.

About some of the performers

GOH NAKAMURA cut his teeth on the Boston music scene providing "stunt guitar" work for various local bands. After returning to the West Coast to write and record his own songs, he's been stewing up a bittersweet collection of musical confection to delight a loyal following at local bars. For more information about Goh Nakamura, please visit gohnakamura.com

EE's membership is wound with the tension of four diverse musical perspective that form the core of the band's sound: a sonic tension that is a fluid mixture of textured pop and improvisational post-rock. Ee began in 1999, after founding member Tobin Mori's (guitar/vocals) previous rock endeavor, Korea Girl, disbanded. Soon after the fallout, Tobin assembled a lush, albeit shortlived, five-piece to record Ee's debut album, Ramadan (www.asianmanrecords.com). In 2000, Ee's line-up dramatically changed: Che Chou, who had toured as a bassist for Korea Girl, came in on bass guitar, and Peter Nguyen, a member of Total Shutdown, came in on drums, forming the nexus of Ee version 2.0. In 2001, Sooyoung Park, a front-man for rock 'n' roll band Seam, joined Ee on guitar to complete the line-up. In 2002, Ee (version 2.0) completed its first album entitled "For 100 We Try Harder," released on Asian Man Records. A four-track EP, dubbed "Tinyspot" (also on Asian Man) kicked off their three-week U.S. tour in April 2002. Now, in 2006, Ee continues to write pop gems and perform on occasion, corporate sell-out jobs permitting. For more information about Ee, please visit www.eetheband.com.

Defiant, otherworldly, urban, dark & lovely music for the unorthodox soul. GOLDA SUPERNOVA sings like a woman transported. openly shape-shifting and defying detection by typical radar. nova tears apart words like "rock," "soul," "electronica," "pop" to free the horizon. discovering a hidden world as confused and coherent as she is, as we are. a gifted and stubbornly unique writer, she crafts crooked narratives peopled with fallen angels, persistent phantoms, broken worlds, and the insistent airborne instrument of her voice — music that is live, lyrical, caught between the wicked and sublime. you may never know what to call it, but it speaks. listen. For more information about Golda Supernova, please visit www.myspace.com/goldasupernova.

VINA has been DJ'ing for over five years and has held down weekly gigs at Oakland's Lucky Lounge and Luka's for the past two years.  He holds a BA and a Masters from UC Berkeley and is currently the Senior Program Manager at the Greenlining Institute, a public policy institute that combines research and policy advocacy to expand economic opportunities for minorities and for the poor.  Vina will be attending law school in the fall. 

 

 

 

SAMBASIA was born from a vision of artistic director Jimmy Biala to build cultural bridges between the diverse neighborhoods of San Francisco. Using the model of the escolas de samba ( samba schools) of Brazil, SambAsia is the first community music and dance ensemble of its kind to be based in the Asian-American communities of San Francisco. SambAsia blends the Carnaval drumming and dance of Brazil with the Festival and Folk music traditions of Asia. Our collaborating organizations include San Francisco’ s Gen Taiko, the KoreanYouth Cultural Center of Oakland, The Chinatown Beacon Center, Mission Neighborhood Centers and Asian Improv aRts. SambAsia has won several first place awards in the annual San Francisco Carnaval for excellence in music and dance and is now in the process of establishing a sister samba school organization in Shijr City, Taiwan.

 

About MANJA

MANJA is an independent online guide to local San Francisco Bay Area Asian American arts events. For more information, please visit manja.org.

 

The Art of Finding & Telling Stories
an 8-week fiction writing workshop with Neelanjana Banerjee

February 27 - April 10, 2006; Mondays, 7 - 9.45PM
Public reading & chapbook release of students' work on May 17th
180 Capp Street (@17th street ), San Francisco

Class size: minimum of 6, maximum of 14.
Cost: $160 non-members, $140 for KSW members.**

**Limited number of partial and full scholarships available. Contact KSW for more information.

This workshop is supported by Poets & Writers, Inc., through a grant it has received from the James Irvine Foundation.

Registration deadline: February 20th, 2006.

Register by check or credit card, contact program director Samantha Chanse at 415.503.0520 or sam@kearnystreet.org for more information. Registration info below.

Class Description:
Our worlds are thick with layers and layers of untold stories. Perhaps you remember a story your grandmother used to tell you, or overhear two little girls fighting on the bus, or even witness a particularly violent rainstorm – each of these moments could be the seed for a story. The art of fiction comes from both learning how to access these stories and figuring out the best way to tell them.

In this class we are going to be scavenging the world around us, and within us, for material. We will be observing, eavesdropping, researching and much more in order to take advantage of the abundance of details in our lives. Along with this directed exploring, the class will also focus on investigating the ways in which we can manipulate narrative and transform subjects through language and form.

We will study the craft of storytelling and fiction writing by interacting with a broad range of texts that will include short stories, non-fiction, poetry and multimedia examples. We will get our hands dirty with both in-class and take-home writing exercises, practicing various ways to tell our stories. We will share our work often and discuss each other’s stories in a workshop. By the end of the class, students will have a rough draft of a short story and lots of great ideas for other ones. Note: This class is intended for all levels.

About the Instructor:
Neelanjana Banerjee has worked for a journalist for the last seven years. The former editor-in-chief of AsianWeek newspaper, she currently works as the managing editor of YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia, where she helps young people produce their own media. A regular contributor to Audrey Magazine, she is also contributing editor for Hyphen magazine. Currently in her final year of the MFA program in fiction at San Francisco State University, her writing has appeared in the Asian Pacific American Journal, A Room of One’s Own, Suspect Thoughts and the anthology Desilicious (Arsenal Press).

Registration info below.

Registration information:

Register by paying full amount in advance (by check or credit card), or contact program director Samantha Chanse at 415.503.0520 or email at sam@kearnystreet.org for more information about payment plans and partial scholarships (limited availability).

To register by credit card:

KSW members click below:

non-members click below:

To register by check:

Please send a check for the full amount to

Kearny Street Workshop
Attention: Fiction workshop
180 capp street, Box #5
San Francisco, CA 94110