32nd Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Festival 2011

DATE: SUNDAY, MAY 8TH, 2011
LOCATION: UNION SQUARE PARK
E 17th Street between Broadway & Park Ave
12pm - 6pm

Organized by the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans since 1979, this annual festival is the longest running and largest event celebrating Pan Asian heritage on the east coast. This year’s festival centers on the theme of the journey that Asian Pacific American ancestors have taken to bring us to this moment. It celebrates not only the value of families, but also our heritage which make us proud to be Asian Pacific Americans. More than 20,000 visitors are expected for an impressive line-up of performances, fun activities for children and adults alike, and savory samples of Asian cuisine. Asian Ameircan Arts Center will proudly present six of our Asian traditional folk artists for the event.


Rose Sigal-Ibsen: calligrapher
Rose Sigal-Ibsen has practiced calligraphy for many years and won critical acclaim for her work. Born in Romania and migrating from Israel to the US, she worked as an enamelist after studying at FIT. In 1979 she began her study of Sumi ink at the KoHo School of Sumi-e in NY and later Chinese brushwork at the Zhejiang Academy in China. She has won Awards of Excellence from the Kampo Cultural Center and from the Manhattan Arts International magazine. She has exhibited widely, for example, in China at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, in Bucharest at the Roumanian Cultural Foundation, and in the US at the Steinhardt Conservatory and the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC.

Kavita Vyas: THE ART OF MEHANDI
Kavita Vyas practices the Art of Mehandi, the art of painting designs on hands and feet. Mehandi designs use animals and floral patterns, sometimes even musical instruments, taking hours to finish. It began over 100 years ago in India by the Muslims, mostly in Pakistan. It is also widely done by the Arab people. She learned this art form from the master Mrs. Saroj Oza, who created the cone method. Kavita loves Mehandi art because she can create new designs each time she paints. Kavita and her Mehandi art was covered on the 10 o'clock news, Channel 11.

YE XUN, Dough figurine master artist
Dough modeling is a traditional Chinese handicraft that has continued to develop for over 700 years. Mr. Ye Xun, born in Zhejiang, has combined the qualities of both his master teachers, the poetic sensibility of Master Zhao Kou Ming with the realistic representation of color and manner of Master Lang Shao An (his grandfather). His figures appear life-like with a sense of vitality in the scenes and characters of his work. His work include the famous mythological characters such as the Monkey King from "Journey to the West", the Eight Immortals and the Goddess of Mercy. He has also won numerous awards for his designs including First Place in the Zhejiang Provincial Competition for Best Design.

Jampa Youden TIBETAN JEWELRY DESIGNER AND FOLK SINGER
Jampa Youden grew up in one of the many nomadic communities in Tibet, where the land is vast (larger than Texas and California together), streams are crystal clear, where there are herds of sheep, birds, meadows of fragrant flowers and medicinal plants, surrounded by snow capped mountains. He learned to sing from his grandfather. The songs are of nomadic life since 70% of the Tibetan population is nomadic. From a family of singers, he and his brothers are often invited to sing at special occasions, weddings and parties. At age thirty he escaped with family members to Nepal before coming to the United States. He thinks singing is like medicine. He says, "It is free to be happy." He tells of the Tibetan proverb, "When you are happy, you enjoy wine. When you are sad, you must tame your mind." He has also taught himself jewelry design. Taking his cue from traditional works he has brought this kind of design back in new materials, sizes and forms, sometimes using beads from Arizona.

Ming Liang Lu: master papercutter of portraits
Ming Liang Lu began studying calligraphy with his father at the age of five. He also studied carving, sculpture and engraving under the tutelage of renowned Shanghai artists such as Zheng Chi Lai, Shu Xun Long and Wu Su Wei. In 1981 he was commissioned to replicate a miniature scale model of Qing Pu Dai Guan Garden with 796 stone sculptures, some as small as a grain of rice. His sculptures were exhibited in the US from 1980 to 1985 and received wide acclaim. A creation from this period, "Dawn", was enlarged into a public art piece over five meters tall and is now permanently installed in the Shanghai Hua Xin Garden. He been in the US for nineteen years and continues to receive awards at various art shows here.

Andrew Wang
Andrew Wang developed a passion for art while growing up in China, which led to his making paintings in the 1990s. Recently, in his spare time, after becoming a medical doctor, he continued his interest in the arts by initiating and developing a cross-country network in China consisting of local artists, ethnographic experts and museum professionals to facilitate the process of traditional ethnic art preservation, particularly traditional tribal textiles. The objectives of the networking include helping artists from different ethnic groups preserve their artistic heritage in the face of modern transformations, and increasing international communications through various artistic activities worldwide. Andrew has served as an international volunteer advisor for several local museums located in Southwestern China to facilitate international collaborations with museums in the West. He will be presenting many traditional art forms here, as he does in several other annual events in the US.

silver jewries from the Southwestern China which will be available during the event

silver jewries from the Southwestern China which will be available during the event

silver jewries from the Southwestern China which will be available during the event