FREE
6:30 PM - DJ Nnamdi
7:00 PM - MC Rai

A dynamic live performer, Tunisian-born singer-songwriter MC Rai joins traditional North African rhythms and melodies with urban beats to create new compositions in which the ancient and modern converge. Shattering simplistic stereotypes, his music will delight longtime fans of North African music and captivates new listeners.

KPFK 90.7 FM's DJ Nnamdi to open. Free. Sponsored, in part, by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and the Irvine Foundation. Media sponsors: KFPK 90.7 FM and Downtown News.

This summer the National Museum debuts four wonderful days created especially for families. Generously sponsored by Target, these special Saturdays are filled with fun activities giving families unique ways to learn, play, and grow together.

I am ... I can be...
How do you perceive yourself in your imagination? How do you communicate those perceptions to others?

Drop-in and discover fun ways of drawing self-portraits in a special workshop designed to show the world what makes you, you. Bring along your creativity and spirit for a day of storytelling and art.

Join us for our other Target Free Family Saturdays

September 9 - More than Crayons
October 14 - Family Folktales: Rabbits, Roosters, Monkeys, Oh My!
November 11 - A World of Percussion: Shake, Rattle & Bang!

Every second and fourth Wednesday through July and August, the National Museum will host screenings of film shorts that explore issues of identity. Following the films, community leaders, artists, activists, and others will share their own perspectives on identity and build upon issues discussed in each film.

July 12 films
What Are You Anyways? (2006) by Jeff Chiba Stearns
(10:40 min)

Sex, Love, & Kung Fu (2000) by Kip Fulbeck
(7:00 min)

July 19-22, 2006
By Invitation Only

Thirty-five educators from seven states will begin their two-year commitment as participants in the National Summer Institute for Educators. Participants will learn more about the Japanese American experience and collaborate to write lesson plans that they will pilot in their classrooms during the next school year. In July 2007, they will reconvene to share their lesson plans and continue discussions about how diversity enhances their work with students, and within their schools and profession.

FREE
6:30 PM

presents

Haruo Ishihara Okinawan Folk Ensemble

Hawaii Music by Moana

Zenshuji Zendeko Taiko

The Japanese American National Museum's summer outdoor series continues with music from Okinawa, Hawaii, and the Continental United States. This free concert promises to be a great evening for families of all ages under the stars in Little Tokyo.

The 1st & Central Concert Series is sponsored, in part, by the Cultural Affairs Department, City of Los Angeles; the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; and the James Irvine Foundation. Media sponsors: KPFK 90.7 FM and the Los Angeles Downtown News.

Did you attend the Camp Connections conference in Little Rock, Arkansas?

Join the National Museum for a special reunion and release of the new video documentary Life Interrupted: A Special Arkansas Reunion, produced by the award-winning Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center.

Relive and reflect on this remarkable trip to Arkansas. Light reception to follow.

Visit www.janm.org/media/lifeinterrupted to learn more about the DVD and to view selected clips.

The DVD is available for sale through the Museum Store. Please order through the Museum Store Online or call toll-free at call 888.769.5559.

The Japanese American National Museum has increasingly explored the relationship between Japanese Americans and Japan. While the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Japan is considered among the most important in the world, the connection between Japanese and Japanese Americans is more complex and perhaps atypical to that of other Americans with the people and land of their ancestry.

While World War II played a significant role in severing ties, today more than 60 years later, the National Museum is working on programs and networks to develop relationships between Japanese Americans and their Japanese counterparts to foster stronger U.S.-Japan relations.

Upcoming Programs

Symposium
A New Perspective on U.S.-Japan Relations: The Japanese American and Japanese Partnership
At the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles
Friday, July 21, 2006
2 - 5 p.m.

Luncheon
A Global Perspective: Business, Technology and Defense
Keynote: U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye
At the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles
Friday, July 21, 2006
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Click here for program information and to download reservation forms

National Invitational Golf Tournament at the Wilshire Country Club, Los Angeles, California.

For more information, please contact Special Events at 213.830.5688 or specialevents@janm.org.

Every second and fourth Wednesday through July and August, the National Museum will host screenings of film shorts that explore issues of identity. Following the films, community leaders, artists, activists, and others will share their own perspectives on identity and build upon issues discussed in each film.

Add your personal touch to lively pop-up cards featuring the art of origami. $8 for National Museum members and $13 for non-members, includes supplies and Museum admission. Reservations are required.