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Oakland Museum of California Welcomes in the Lunar New Year with a Festival of Asian Traditions

(OAKLAND, CA)—The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) rings in the Year of the Monkey with a day of Asian New Year traditions on Sunday, February 14, 2015 from 12 to 4:30 pm. Featuring activities for the entire family, the 15th annual event celebrates the many time-honored traditions of diverse Asian cultures represented in California, including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mongolian and other Asian cultures with an array of arts, crafts, food, demonstrations, live music, dance, martial arts, and more.

The day’s performances and activities include: students from the Developing Virtue Secondary School performing traditional lucky lion and dragon dances; performances by the Red Panda Acrobats; a magic show by Dan Chan; stories from the Chinese zodiac with children’s book author Oliver Chin; and a chance to meet live farm animals with Little Explorers Petting Zoo. In addition, the day’s events will feature Mongolian dancers from Ger Youth Center, Okinawan drumming by Ruy-Q Musasaki Daiko, Vietnamese folk dances and martial arts demonstrations by Vovinam America, Chinese yo-yo tricks performed by the Foothill High School Chinese Yo-Yo Club, and Korean drumming and K-pop dance by student groups from UC Berkeley will round out the performances.

Demonstrations include Korean American artist Youngmin Lee demonstrating traditional Korean patchwork design bojagi and ArtChef Jimmy Zhang demonstrating world-class fruit and vegetable carving. In addition, OMCA continues its tradition of welcoming the Deaf and hard of hearing community to this annual celebration with demonstrations of calligraphy, henna hand art, and art workshops led by DEAF Media and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

All performances and demonstrations are included with Museum admission. Full program details will be posted at museumca.org/lunarnewyear-2016.

CALENDAR EDITORS PLEASE LIST:

WHAT:            OMCA’s Lunar New Year & Other Asian Traditions Celebration, a fun, culture-filled family day celebrating the Year of the Monkey
WHEN:            Sunday, Feb. 14, 12–4:30 pm
WHERE:          Oakland Museum of California at 1000 Oak Street in Oakland, CA
COST:             Included with regular Museum admission.

ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) brings together collections of art, history and natural science under one roof to tell the extraordinary stories of California and its people. OMCA’s groundbreaking exhibits tell the many stories that comprise California with many voices, often drawing on first-person accounts by people who have shaped California’s cultural heritage. Visitors are invited to actively participate in the Museum as they learn about the natural, artistic and social forces that affect the state and investigate their own role in both its history and its future. With more than 1.9 million objects, OMCA is a leading cultural institution of the Bay Area and a resource for the research and understanding of California’s dynamic cultural and environmental heritage.

VISITOR INFORMATION
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland. Museum admission is $15.95 general; $10.95 seniors and students with valid ID, $6.95 youth ages 9 to 17, and free for Members and children 8 and under. OMCA offers onsite underground parking and is conveniently located one block from the Lake Merritt BART station, on the corner of 10th Street and Oak Street. The accessibility ramp is located at the 1000 Oak Street main entrance to the Museum. museumca.org

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