Intended as a workshop to foster critical thinking skills, this program will feature presentations by two scholars who work on similar issues in entirely different parts of the world. Dr. David Kenley (Elizabethtown College, PA) will speak on “Remembering and Forgetting: War Memorials in East Asia” with a particular focus on WWII memorials. Dr. Kirk Savage (University of Pittsburgh) will talk about “Curating History: Civil War Commemoration and Social Justice.” The program will include Q&A with the speakers.

Gender Wayang Music performed by Meghan Hynson, Yang Shuo, Wangcaixuan Zhang and Annie Valdes

Pre-performance lecture by Dr. Meghan Hynson

Genre films possess the ability to address thorny political and social issues that otherwise remain unuttered; Jordan Peele’s horror film Get Out (2017) and Ryan Coogler’s Afro-futurist vision in Black Panther (2018) offer implicit commentaries on race relations in the United States. Likewise, Hideaki Anno and Higushi Shinji’s giant monster film Shin-Gojira (2016) took aim at the Japanese government and its failure to respond to the 3/11 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Beyond his fame as Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of Tales of the South Pacific and Hawaii,James A. Michener was an enthusiastic collector of fine art. He managed to assemble the third largest collection of ukiyo-e in the United States, which he donated to the Honolulu Museum of Art. Join us at the Carnegie Museum of Art to learn about Michener's collecting journey with Stephen Salel, Curator of Japanese Art. Please register at japansocietypa.org/events.

Learn how to make beautiful palm and floral offerings in the traditional Balinese style with expert artisan Ida Ayu Kumalayoni. A brief lecture on offerings in Bali will be followed by a hands-on workshop.

Event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact asia@pitt.edu.

What does it mean for white women to perform Asian America through taiko in politically charged times? Taiko is an ensemble drum performance form that originated in 1950s Japan and which has grown rapidly in the U.S. since the late 1960s. While the North American taiko community writ large welcomes practitioners of any background, taiko has historical and social roots in Japanese American history and Asian American activism.

The Indian Room Committee will hold a community wide celebration beginning at 10:45 a.m. with a procession of celebrants singing and dancing around the Cathedral of Learning. Within the Commons Room, at 12pm, there will be a hoisting of flags and introduction of notables, including County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and invited speakers. The event will conclude with performances of traditional Indian dances and a bountiful feast of delicious food. It is then followed by kite flying at the Cathedral lawn. Admission is free.

"Girls Always Happy is unflinching in its exploration of a difficult parent-child dynamic, benefitting from intricate performances from the two leads." -Sarah Ward, Screen Daily

After the popularity of his online diary, "My Father," filmmaker Lu Qingyi decided to turn a camera on his parents' everyday life in a remote town in Guizhou. Over four springs, we see the flow of life: chores, singing, hikes, celebrations, funerals, reunions, and separation. After a family tragedy forces Qingyi from the role of participant to observer, he becomes more deeply moved by the open-minded, pristine life philosophy his parents reveal through their everyday interactions with people and nature.

Elizabeth Brown will give a repeat performance of Tipp's new work "Pale Blue Dot"; the concert will feature works by Pitt composers Jason Belcher, Laura Schwartz, Marco Guisto, Emerson Voss and Karen Brown.
The concert is free and open to the public
Where: Frick Fine Art Auditorium