You survived the holidays, you celebrated the new year, and maybe you're in the midst of Lunar New Year thrills, but if you're looking to slow down for some peace and quiet, we believe art is just the ticket. We're midway through our large exhibition, Maharaja, and it's as lovely as the day it opened. Treat your eyes to some 200 stunning artworks and objects, all while getting an eye-opening history lesson on the life and times of India's great kings. Lush paintings, bejeweled armor, art deco furniture, a gold throne, dreamy photographs...this show's got it all. Read related blog entries.

It’s the show everyone’s been talking about. If you haven’t seen it yet, perhaps this Smithsonian.com piece will convince you to check it out. A “lighthearted foil” to Maharaja, this exhibition is “as colorful as a candy store…plastered with vivid, playful graphics of Hindu gods, demons and fantastic beasts” by Sanjay Patel. Patel is a Pixar artist whose modern, unique interpretations of Hindu epics engage with centuries-old historical works, delivering fresh context. We've seen both wee ones and adults react with awe and glee in this special hybrid space that pops. Read more related blog entries.

Can you hear that thunderous roar? It’s the Year of the Dragon, here for the Lunar New Year. How will you greet it? With the Asian Art Museum, of course! Chinese American International School students will present classical music and dances, culminating in a playful lion dance. The lion dance is a popular New Year element, scaring away evil spirits and ensuring an auspicious beginning. Hunt for dragons in the galleries, listen to dragon stories, make a dragon paper cut, a Year of the Dragon button to wear, or rub on a temporary tattoo featuring the animals from the museum’s collection.

Learn how to drape a sari (woman’s garment) with instructors from the India Community Center in Milpitas. Then, create your own bling, much like the dazzling jewelry on view in Maharaja. On Saturday and Sunday, dancer and storyteller Pranita Jain from Kalapriya Center for the Indian Performing Arts will lead special interactive storytelling demonstrations, animating tales of King Vikramaditya with mudras (gestures) and facial expressions.

Turn on all your senses with an array of titillating "hot spots" throughout the museum. Soak up the intimate tea lounge hosted by Tea Alchemy (of Burning Man notoriety), smell the signature fragrances created by aromatic artist Yosh Han as inspired by Maharaja, and join critically acclaimed comic book artist MariNaomi as she reads from her graphic memoir Kiss and Tell: A Romantic Resume Ages 0-22. Explore themes of desire and lust in the galleries, adorn your skin with henna art, or just relax with an Ayurvedic head massage. DJ Maurizio Aviles will be providing for your aural senses. Bring your Valentine, bring your friends, or make some new ones, and let’s get it on. 

 

2/9 – Talk with Curator Michael Knight: Art During the Reign of Eternal Happiness

2/12 – Film: Lagaan

2/19 – Society for Asian Art Film: Play Like a Lion

2/26 – Society for Asian Art Concert: Indian Classical Music with Alam Khan

Ongoing – Art Explorers Maharaja Family Tour

Ongoing – Storytelling: The Wicked, the Wily, and the Wise

On this day, your Asian Art Museum membership card can grant you complimentary access for two at the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM). It can also get you 10% discount in the CJM Store and 10% off a CJM membership. Explore this striking building where new perspectives on Jewish art, culture, history, and ideas thrive, and let the fun continue with a Mahjong Open Play with Mahj Maven Sara Linden (pictured), Preschool Family Gallery Hour, Family Gallery Tour, and drop-in art activities. Check out the CJM website for more details, and enjoy!

 

Consider joining or renewing today to really reap the benefits of a membership, such as unlimited free admission to our dynamic line-up of exhibitions this year. This includes the final weeks of Maharaja: The Splendor of India's Royal Courts, Deities, Demons and Dudes with 'Staches, Phantoms of Asia, and more.

Happy Lunar New Year! Put a stamp on the Year of the Dragon with your own customized seal. Also known as a chop, this is a stamp bearing a person's name, and is used in lieu of a signature. Master Seal Maker and author Jun Pei Cui trained at the Guangzhou Painting Institute in China. His experience with photography and painting has honed his eye for composition and detail, evident in all the seals he's designed and carved. Mr. Cui has created seals for artists, poets, collectors, visitors from around the world, and he can create one for you. He's here Saturdays and Sundays at the museum store. Come by, say hi, and watch him work on your seal.

More than 70 art dealers will showcase everything from sculpture, furniture and paintings to ceramics, antiques and contemporary art. Meet the dealers, preview the art, enjoy dragon and lion dancers, and feast on a sumptuous buffet. Your support will assist the museum in enhancing its education activities and popular programs to impact the community. For more information, call (415) 581-3788.