A Little Lovin’ for Some Art … and FOOD!

JANM Interns 2 Comments

Now that I have a moment away from using InDesign, I thought I should devote some time sharing with you all the happenings of my awesome week at the Museum.

Much of the past week has been committed to creating and editing my primary task for my internship, which is a 24-page Group Visit and Educator Guide.  But so many marvelous things kept on emerging – and by marvelous, I mean delicious – throughout the days.  Hmm, where to begin…

Ah, yes. Last Friday.

The other interns and I attended a leadership workshop, which included a variety of activities focusing on our identities within our society and confronting others about social injustice and stereotypes (ethnicity, religion, gender, you name it).  I’m sure all three of us were able to grow some new insight and perspective in analyzing our identities as well as understanding others and their backgrounds.  But the best part of it all? The free lunch, of course.  Right when we were about to consume the Thai food that we collected onto our plates, Alyctra gets a text message from her supervisor John, informing us of a wonderful opportunity awaiting back at the Museum.  That’s right, the day that we had all been waiting for: Sashimi day.  So now we found ourselves in a dilemma: shall we engulf ourselves in the food that we had already been presented in front of our face? Or leave for some sashimi? But of course, our hunger kicked in and we began eating out of our plates and finished in about a half hour.  Alyctra was kind to drive us back to the Museum afterwards, and when we arrived and walked through the lounge, low and behold, the sashimi was patiently waiting for us.  “They made it!” Clement announced across the room, “Grab some sashimi!”

“But we already had lunch.”

“So?”

That was enough persuasion for us to give in to deliciousness.  And so, we began to serve ourselves a second lunch.  A big thank you to those who prepared everything (and The Getty for giving us an awesome opportunity. Who knew that I would have sashimi at an internship?)

Then came Wednesday.  Unfortunately Mae had caught a cold (or infection, as I heard afterwards) for a few days, so I was the only one in the office under Clement’s reign of craziness.  But that craziness turned into kindness as he took me out to lunch for Chinese food at Uncle John’s Cafe 🙂 We took a shuttle to get there, but along the walk on our way to the restaurant, Clement pointed out Bottega Louie, a luxurious gourmet restaurant, apparently popular to many celebrities.  “Maybe we can get some macaroons afterwards?” Clement joked with a smirk on his face … at least I thought he was joking.  After we had lunch, we began walking backwards to the bus stop, and I swiftly passed by Louie when all of a sudden I hear Clement, “Where are you going?!”  And thus, we gave in to even more deliciousness.  Three patisseries were chosen (don’t ask me what they were; one consisted of a lime meringue?, another a macaroon, and the third a solid chocolat mousse-like cake that was coated with raspberries and what looked like a dangerous shiny purple glaze on top.)  Like always, Clement would not let me pay. I’ll get him one day. One day.  Mae could not join in on this shindig, but Lynn was able to have a bite for her.

Then came Thursday, which was apparently Patricia’s birthday 🙂 (In case she didn’t hear me, Happy birthday, Patty!)  Alexa and Alyctra came downstairs to inform me of a party up in the lounge which involved cake and hotdogs.  Who could resist?

Friday was a very entertaining day for I got to see some of Clement’s artwork!  It definitely was interesting to see the kinds of works and concepts with which others work around.  I’ve come to appreciate museums and different genres of art a lot more over the past few years, especially after spending some time in Italy last fall.  Visiting exhibitions and seeing art is always going to be a favorite of mine.

I feel like I’ve consumed much of the space on this blog, mostly dedicated to the food happenings.  For those who are not too fond of food, I apologize.  For those who are, kanpai! Time to get some chips and guacamole, made by the famous graphic designer and chef Mae Isidro!

Museums Matter Night at Dodger Stadium

Go Dodgers! Museums Matter Night at Dodger Stadium

Vicky Murakami-Tsuda Leave a comment

Come celebrate museums & cheer on the hometown Dodgers at Museums Matter Night at Dodger Stadium!

Museums Matter Night at Dodger Stadium

Join JANM and other participating museums at Dodger Stadium on Friday, August 26. Special discounted prices available for variety of stadium seating sections. Click on the link below for prices & to order tickets.

Game against the Colorado Rockies starts at 7:10pm. Stay for fireworks following the game!

Museums Matter Night info & tickets >>

Download the PDF flyer (2 MB) >>

 

Shigetoshi Hasegawa Baseball fans…we also have a program on Saturday, July 23 at 11am:

How to Succeed in Baseball

Shigetoshi Hasegawa (former pitcher for the Angels & Mariners) and Scott Akasaki (traveling secretary for the Dodgers) will be at JANM next Saturday to talk about how they were able to succeed in baseball. It’s free, so come check it out!

Labbits are up!

Maria Kwong Leave a comment

Sorry everyone for making you wait so long to see the Labbit collection in its entirety, but please believe me when I say I have been working round the clock to get the show up while also managing my regular job.

Anyway, I just took the last shot an hour ago (for the Labbit that arrived an hour before we set up) and got every piece online. Five pieces sold last night at the opening, but there are plenty of fantastic pieces left to choose from as you will see.

Thanks to all of the artists who participated in the show, and all of the people who came to the opening night. It all amounts to support for the Museum!

The last arrival was from artist Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani of New York. He gets special dispensation because he is 92 years old and wasn’t quite sure what to make of my request to be in a custom toy show. For those of you who are familiar with Jimmy’s story through the DVD “The Cats of Mirikitani“, you may notice a slight resemblance to the artist in this piece. If you haven’t seen the DVD, you can buy one in the Museum Store when you come to admire the Labbit show in person.

Check out all the Labbits online >>

Better than the Average Bear…or Should I say Rabbit?

JANM Interns Leave a comment

I have been told that while perusing through a gallery space, the average person spends about 5 seconds in front of a work of art before moving on to another piece. I, myself, am guilty of this, as I have found myself racing through exhibits, which would take hours upon hours to properly absorb and appreciate. Although I have had the pleasure of being immersed in art from a variety of galleries and cultures, from the many we have here in Southern California to those on the East Coast and have seen a generous share works from renowned masters to local Michiganian artists, there unfortunately does not exist an encyclopedia of “Art Seen by Alexa” chronicling the art that I have seen in my lifetime. I’m one of the last people on this earth to have a photographic memory, so that’s understandable right? Pass by someone’s masterpiece and appreciate it for the time being, but soon it floats off into the deep dark abyss that are our forgotten memories. It happens. But I was recently taught the copious amounts of hard work that goes into us viewers being treated with eye-candy, museum style. And trust me, it deserves way more than the five-second glance us Plain Jane’s and Average Joe’s give it.

For the past few weeks, I have been given a taste into what it takes to bring an exhibition into fruition as we prepared for the opening of the museum’s new exhibit, Year of the Rabbit: Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo. I am not a nerd when it comes to the world of comic books, but educating myself in the world of Usagi Yojimbo was as easy as picking up a comic book, literally. Definitely something I wish I could have said for chemistry and calculus in high school. Portions of my past weeks have consisted of spending one-on-one time with Stan Sakai’s artwork as my fellow intern, Yuiko and I, transformed Stan’s works from being brilliant works on paper to being works on paper that are now matted, framed, and hanging in the galleries. Hours were spent in the Collections department as we measured, cut mats, drilled holes, and were reminded that our math skills were a little rusty from when we had last used them in high school.

Despite the refresher we needed on adding and subtracting, we successfully hauled plexi and frames around Collections and used power tools, which ultimately amounted into the works of Stan Sakai ready for your viewing pleasure. This was an invaluable opportunity to see original works up-close and personal as opposed to behind glass and a velvet rope. I am always a fan of not only final works, but the progress and process behind them and it was awesome to see the artist’s original pencil sketches underneath his final products in ink. At the end of our few weeks, everyone’s hard work was revealed and the museum’s new exhibition looks amazing! So if you’re ever in the mood to delve deeper into the world of Usagi Yojimbo or witness the culmination of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the finalization of this exhibit, come check out Year of the Rabbit!!!

– Alexa

Could you hand me the paintbrush, please?

JANM Interns 1 Comment

So it’s been a while since my last post, but perhaps such delay is due to the busy schedule and tasks that the Museum has wrapped itself around in preparation for the new exhibition of Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo.  The staff here at the Museum might have become numb and prone to the rushed and hectic atmosphere of getting ready for a new exhibition, but I found it quite amusing (and quite the workout as well).

I first began assisting the staff by matting and framing – and eventually drilling – the artist’s pieces that were to be hung on the walls.  Along with my fellow intern, Alexa, we took turns carefully measuring and cutting the matboards, and cleaning the plexi glass after they were ripped of their sticky wrappings (which required quite some strength, we were worried our arms would be sore the next day).  Every piece required a frame, and once an artwork was placed into one, we peered through the glass to make sure no debris were stuck between the piece and glass – and if there were any, we took a brush and shooed the unwanted away.  The drilling was perhaps the most “masculine” part of the experience, I felt like I was fighting  gender binaries: there I was wearing a white dress and heels, and what’s in my hand? That’s right, a macho screwdriver.

Every now and then, you could hear one – or both – of us sighing out of frustration from a dull blade or a miscalculation that was off by so much that I came to doubt myself when I used to say, “Oh yea, I’m pretty good at math.” Those days when I took calculus seemed like a dream.  One odd part of the whole thing was that neither Alexa nor I had access to Collections, and many times we found ourselves looking for someone to open the doors.  At one point, I felt extremely silly:  I spent nearly a half hour trying to look for Clement (because we all know that he’s everywhere and nowhere; I would see him throughout the building but whenever I actually am looking for him, he’s nowhere to be found).  Eventually I had to text Clement to see where he was, and soon enough I hear my name being announced.

But time flies when you’re working, which is a good thing (well, at least most of the time).

Of course, my favorite part was painting.  After much anticipation, Mae and I – along with other members of the staff – got to tracing and painting the walls with images of Usagi Yojimbo.  (I was told maybe a week earlier that I were to be painting, and every day I would come in and bother my supervisor, “Are they ready? Are we painting today?!”) Though I myself is an art major, I hadn’t painted in months, and I was very excited to paint such a large-scale image.  And when I did start painting, ahh the memories of being an art student flooded back in.  The trickiest part of the task was to reach the top areas with a ladder – and despite the fact that I used to do ballet and gymnastics, my sense of balance is not to be trusted.  Making sure the paint isn’t dripping onto the rest of the image is another challenge – a challenge that I must admit I could not at times accept.

Once the exhibition was set up, Saturday came upon us, and soon enough I found myself helping out children take pictures and make frames for Target Family Day.  As tiring as the day was, I had an immense amount of fun watching kids – and adults – grow their sense of creativity through wooden frames and bright-colored stickers.  (Though I’m not sure why there were stickers in the images of dimes and pennies… how random. But hey, you can’t have too much money, right?)  And the best part of it all? I got to take a picture and make a frame myself. which is staring back at me as of this moment while I type away this post 🙂

Yuiko

Jerome Lu's Hyperactive Shaolin Rabbit

I say Labbit, you say Rabbit

Maria Kwong 1 Comment

I have received a couple of inquiries as to the origin of the title for the Year of the Labbit show, so I thought perhaps an explanation was in order. I was not trying to confuse, confound, or humiliate anyone for not being able to pronounce Ls and Rs (like my mother planned to when she wanted to name me Laura so neither my Chinese nor Japanese grandparents would be able to say my name correctly –Lola, Rora,..)

Jerome Lu's Hyperactive Shaolin Rabbit
Angry Asian labbit! (Jerome Lu's Hyperactive Shaolin Rabbit)

 

The blank toy that was used for the show was an already existing product created by Kid Robot and the artist Frank Kozik. I wondered about the name since the toy had absolutely no reflection of any Asian influences. I assumed it was a combination of the Latin based word for “rabbit” which in French at least is “lapin” and  “rabbit”, and left it at that. There were never any indications that this was aimed at an Asian audience, it never came with Asian themed accessories, and wasn’t questioned until I decided to use it for the blank canvas for this show, at this Museum, and called the show the Year of the Labbit.

I contacted the artist to ask him how the Labbit got its name. Frank told me that his first version of this toy was a mean-looking rabbit with a cigarette in its mouth and a scar on its forehead. I had seen this in his artwork as a “Smorkin’ Labbit”, and indeed several toy versions were made with variations of rabbits and other inanimate objects (like watermelons, hamburgers, etc. all smoking cigarettes.) Frank said that he sent his Smokin’ Rabbit design to Asia for final production. When he received his first shipment of packaged product, someone in Asia had changed everything to “Smorkin’ Labbit”! Rather than scrap the whole project and return everything for a re-do, he decided to let serendipity to play into his product and kept the name as is.

The version of Kozik’s toy we are using is called the Happy Labbit and is a little more family friendly and cute. But basically I chose it because its shape offered the most surface area for artists to paint on.

Labbit Custom Show UPDATE

Maria Kwong 1 Comment

Here’s an update on our Year of the Labbit Custom Show opening on Thursday!

Whew, working to open two shows a week apart is insane! It always gets done, often without all the behind-the-scenes drama showing up in the final product (see my last post re: drama.)  However some important items you should know: 1.) the Labbit Show opens at 6:30 PM on Thursday, July 14. We won’t unveil until then. 2.) Admission to the exhibition is FREE that evening. 3.) Some of the Labbits will be auctioned off on eBay through out the run of the show. These include Labbits by Mike Shinoda, Kip Fulbeck, higashi glaser and Stan Sakai. The auctions will be posted on the Year of the Labbit page on our web site. Each auction will last a week so you will have plenty of time to bid.

Online sales for the other pieces will be up (gulp!) hopefully by the opening night. I can’t tell you exactly when, but keep checking our site. We won’t start selling until the show opens however.

The Digital Docent

Christy Sakamoto Leave a comment
Shishima Family 1944

 

Look at our volunteer Bill as a young boy!  Top right.  Don’t you want to know where he is, what he’s thinking, how he got his hair so perfectly coiffed?

Ok but seriously.  Our volunteers have a rich narrative of history to share with younger generations.  History has been written from the top down, but the foundation is the strength of the story and ordinary peoples’ voices need to be heard.  A new history told from the bottom up needs to be cultivated bringing dimension and diversity to our understanding.  This year we are introducing a new Speakers Bureau through online interfacing.  The Digital Speaker’s Bureau will facilitate this new history and discourse between generations.  Enabling students to speak to older adults and hear their stories is a much more moving experience than one that can be gained from a textbook.  The Speaker’s Bureau also allows us to reach an audience that for distance or financial reasons is unable to visit the National Museum.

Students can have a richer education that includes more of the diversity that makes America.  The personal connections that can be made through the Digital Speaker’s Bureau are difficult to replicate in a textbook or classroom.  The shared experiences of the volunteers will lend itself to an informed society and one more aware of the complex networks of narratives that make our history.

Plus, look at how cute Bill looks.

We trialed an oral history interview over Skype last spring between Bill and a high school in Texas.  It went a little something like this.

Digital Speaker Session

If you’re interested in setting up a group for Digital Speaker session, please email groupvisits@janm.org!