NATIONAL MUSEUM SETS SUMMER FESTIVAL AUG. 15, 2ND SHINODA, GIANT ROBOT EXHIBITS

The Japanese American National Museum continues to mark its 10 years of work since it opened its Pavilion in 1999 with a free summer festival and the second shows by musician/artist Mike Shinoda and the magazine Giant Robot.

The National Museum, which was founded in 1985 and opened to the public in a renovated historic building in 1992, expanded into its 85,000-square-foot Pavilion in January of 1999. The structure provided more exhibition space and collection storage as well as dedicated rooms for its Hirasaki National Resource Center, its Watase Media Arts Center and its Aratani Central Hall. It also gained its own courtyard area between its two buildings. In the last decade, the National Museum has installed over 40 exhibitions, hosted hundreds of public programs and been the site of community events, free concerts and one-of-kind shows.

"As is obvious by our upcoming schedule of events and exhibitions, the Japanese American National Museum continues to reach out to new audiences, especially with the appeal of Mike Shinoda and Giant Robot," explained National Museum President and CEO Akemi Kikumura Yano. "Our free Summer Festival on the Courtyard is another opportunity for people to come and visit, view our latest exhibition, Kokeshi: From Folk Art to Art Toy, and enjoy the beginning of Nisei Week. The festival will remind people in our Nikkei community of the old days, when carnivals and game booths were a part of summertime."

On Saturday, August 15, the National Museum will hold its free Summer Festival on the Courtyard from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event harkens back to days when community carnivals featuring fun games for kids were popular. Activities include a giant obstacle course, a bounce house, a dunk tank and a prize pull. There will also be lily pond with ping-pong balls, tic-tac-toe, dip bowling, ring toss with soda bottles, and a softball toss with milk cans. Hands-on arts and crafts activities will feature the making of kokeshi, inspired by the current exhibition, Kokeshi: From Folk Art to Art Toy, and the construction of paper lanterns.

A special BBQ on the Courtyard at Kaeru’s Carnival will be held. The lunch will include BBQ beef, beans, green salad, French bread, a shrimp cocktail, cookie and a soda or water. Pre-sale tickets are $10, $12.50 on the day of the event.

On August 29, Mike Shinoda will display more of his art in the second part of his series, Glorious Excess (Dies). Known primarily as one of the leaders of the musical group Linkin Park, Shinoda is a graduate of Art Center. He displayed some of his original art in the first show, Glorious Excess (Born) in 2008 at the National Museum. Both shows explore society’s obsession with celebrity culture as well as consumer addiction and its fascination with excess. This exhibition will run through October 4.

The pop culture magazine, Giant Robot, and its founder Eric Nakamura will then unveil its second exhibition at the National Museum on October 25. Its first exhibition, Giant Robot Biennale: 50 Issues, opened in 2007 as part of the magazine’s publication of its 50th issue. The exhibition featured an eclectic group of artists together in a show that embodied the far-reaching interest of the magazine.

For more information on any of these events, call the Japanese American National Museum at (213) 625-0414 or go to www.janm.org.