Once again the popular Tucson Festival of Books will be held at University of AZ campus mall on March 9 & 10, 2024. Coming this year are three Japanese American authors:
Artist Yu Yu Shiratori will be exhibiting her art at Snakebite Creation Space, 174 E. Toole Ave. (West of corner of N. 6th Avenue in downtown Tucson) on March 2, from 6 to 9 p.m.
I previously posted about a large mural she did at the MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida del Convento.
The artist’s statement:
“Slow Bloom is the most personally significant work I’ve created- it shares my narrative of growing up Japanese American in Arizona, and in many ways tells a story that is relatable to any person coming from an immigrant background. I’ll attach a small sneak peak of what will be at the show.”
From the gallery’s website:
“Slow Bloom is the first large scale installation by multi-disciplinary artist, Yu Yu Shiratori. Featuring culturally significant objects, contradictory materials, and larger than life proportions. Shiratori’s work travels through personal narratives set against the backdrop of the Sonoran Desert. Shiratori leverages resilience and fortitude in creating this work, and her instillation utilizes delicate and functional objects as stand-ins for durable objects that resist decay and disappearance, evoking qualities of strength and power. This playful subversion reflects on the parallel ways characteristics are built within individuals through experiences of cultural code switching, and other learned behaviors of navigating space.
Slow Bloom expands the familiar, stretching objects beyond their physical form through light and shadow. This visual metaphor illuminates the unseen forces that shape our lives. Ancestral wisdom, shared identity, and individual insights—all blend together, telling the story of our interconnected communities and the futures we collectively create.”
Show available to view the two following Saturdays from 10-1, or by appointment.
“In eternal vessels of clay, we wander and wonder, at once in and of the landscape. We are earth and stars and the eternal space between unseen realms. We are the clouds and mountains, the rivers and forests, presence and prayer. We are the dreams within the clay.
Funhouse movement theater returns to Yume Gardens to take you on a butoh exploration of eternal body as landscape. Inspired by the writings of Shundo Aoyama and John O’donohue, Dreams in Clay combines the Zen aesthetics of the Japanese garden with the sculptural works of artist Keita Tsutsumi. Visitors to this unique performance will encounter dancers engaged in communion with the sights, sounds, and sensations of the natural environment.
A contemporary, avant-garde performance art, butoh is a seamless blend of dance, theater, improvisation, and traditional Japanese performing arts. Butoh compels both performers and audience to investigate the primal, universal energies that connect us, and invites us to share an embodied experience of the collective unconscious.
Dreams in Clay is directed by Lin Lucas and Keita Tsutsumi and features Sabrina Geoffrion, Karenne Koo, Lin Lucas, Sherry Mulholland, and Keita Tsutsumi, with renowned butoh artist, Julie Becton Gillum. Music composed and performed by Paul Amiel.
Date & Time:
3/2
6 to 7 p.m. and 7:15 to 8:15 p.m.
Tickets: General Admission: $30
Members: $25
Children 3-15: $10
Advanced ticket reservation is required. This is a limited admission event.Purchase Tickets
“Join us for an enchanting afternoon of traditional Japanese comedic storytelling, English Rakugo!
★Date: Tuesday, February 27th
★Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
★Location: University of Arizona Henry Koffler Building 204 (1340 E University Blvd. Tucson, AZ)
No reservations needed! Admission is FREE!
Don’t miss this unique cultural experience! 🇯🇵
If you have any questions, please contact me at nhayashijoi@arizona.edu
See you there!
🌸What is Rakugo? Rakugo is a form of traditional Japanese comedic storytelling performed by a lone storyteller who portrays multiple characters using only a fan and a hand towel as props. The stories typically involve everyday situations and are known for their clever wordplay and humor.”
Our SAJCC Director Yukihiro Ibuki passed away suddenly at age 64 in Kyoto, Japan, his home town. He was a Johrei practitioner for decades at Tucson Johrei Center, which is located east of N. Alvernon Way.
Please RSVP to this event to meet his two sons, and to remember Yuki. He served as our Director since May, 2017 (interim since July 2016), and helped us found our coalition back in 2012.
