| |
|
|
     |
|
| The
Year in Review |
 |
|
 |
|
|
JANUARY
23 Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
A dialogue on journalism and the media
Ring Auditorium
Hirshhorn Museum
Participants included K.W.
Lee, the nation's foremost Korean American print journalist; Jeannie
Park, executive editor of People magazine; and Alice
Rhee, producer of The News with Brian Willams. |
| |
 |
 |
|
| |
 |
FEBRUARY
21 Friday at 7:00 p.m.
An evening of theater
Ring Auditorium
Hirshhorn
Museum
The Washington, D.C.-based Asian American theater company, ASIA:
Asian Stories in America, staged two one-act plays, Drizzle
and Change, by Sung
Rno. Mr. Rno is a New York-based playwright whose productions
have been seen throughout the country. A discussion about Korean Americans
in theater followed. |
| |
 |
 |
|
MARCH
13 Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
Sneak preview: Better Luck Tomorrow
Meyer Auditorium
Freer
Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
What a coup! The venerable Smithsonian managed to get a sneak preview
of the breakout Asian Pacific American film Better
Luck Tomorrow. The film, about a group of Asian American
honor students who have a whole other life outside school walls, was
a major success at Sundance
2002. The evening's sneak preview included appearances by two of the
film's stars, John
Cho (American Pie, American Pie 2, Off Centre) and Sung
Kang (Antwone Fisher, Mystery Men), as well as director
Justin
Lin (Shopping for Fangs, Passing Through), as they discussed
the changing face of multicultural American media, the struggle for
more positive roles for Asian Americans and greater Asian American
representation. |
| |
 |
 |
|
APRIL
10 Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
Three filmmakers
Meyer Auditorium
Freer
Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Filmmakers Christine
Choy (Who Killed Vincent Chin? and Sa-I-Gu),
Greg Pak (Asian
Pride Porn, Robot Stories) and Grace
Lee (Barrier Device) discussed making films in a Hollywood-dominated
industry. |
 |
 |
 |
MAY
1 Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Film screening of Arirang: The Korean American Journey
Baird Auditorium
National
Museum of Natural History
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, so this month’s
feature kicked off the heritage month festivities around the Smithsonian.
Tom Coffman’s
Arirang: The Korean American Journey, a film in two parts,
screened in its entirety. The screening was the world premiere of
the film’s second half. The director joined us to discuss his
film. |
| |
 |
 |
 |
JUNE
14 Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
Tae Kwon Do
Baird Auditorium
National
Museum of Natural History
Jhoon Rhee,
one of the most influential innovators to bring martial arts to the
American public, offered a history of tae kwon do, followed by a demonstration
of the sport. And yes, he even played the harmonica! |
| |
 |
 |
|
JULY
24 Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Korean American adoptees
Carmichael Auditorium
National
Museum of American History
The national Korean adoptee group, KAAN
(Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network) had its annual
conference in Washington, D.C. in July, and the Smithsonian’s
program was a “pre-show” for the conference. Participants
included Deborah
Johnson, one of the most respected experts on transracial adoption;
filmmaker Deann
Borshay Liem (First
Person Plural); and Chris
Soentpiet, award-winning children’s book illustrator. |
| |
 |
 |
|
AUGUST
15 Friday at 6:30 p.m.
A dialogue on religion and churches
Ring Auditorium
Hirshhorn
Museum
Sang Jin
Choi, the only Korean pastor in Washington to work with homeless
African Americans; Soon
Paik, a Department of Labor senior economist who is a church elder
of the Korean Central Presbyterian Church in northern Virginia; and
Professor Kyeyoung
Park, an anthropologist from the University of California, Los
Angeles, explored why Korean churches have virtually exploded in numbers
to become a vibrant presence in most major cities throughout the country. |
| |
 |
 |
|
SEPTEMBER
13 Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
Children's books
Ring Auditorium
Hirshhorn
Museum
This program featured two sections: Young adult writers Linda
Sue Park (2002
Newbery Medal winner, the most prestigious award for children’s
literature) and An
Na (2002
Michael L. Printz Excellence in Literature for young adults winner);
then children’s book writer/illustrator Yangsook
Choi (New Cat, The Name Jar) and Frances
and Ginger Park (Where in the World Is My Bagel, The Royal
Bee, Freedom Trip). |
| |
 |
 |
|
OCTOBER
24 Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Literature
Carmichael Auditorium
National
Museum of American History
Elaine Kim
(foremost Korean American and Asian American literary scholar from
the University of California, Berkeley), Nora
Okja Keller (Comfort Woman, Fox Girl), Heinz
Insu Fenkl (Memories of My Ghost Brother and Kori,
the first Korean American anthology) and Don
Lee (Ploughshares
editor, Yellow: Stories) read from their work and discussed
Korean American literature today. The event was in collaboration with
the Korean Studies Department at George
Washington University which presented a conference
on Korean American literature Oct. 24-26. |
| |
 |
 |
|
OCTOBER
30 Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Modern dance with Dana Tai Soon Burgess and Company
Baird Auditorium
National
Museum of Natural History
NOVEMBER
6 and 7 (call for performance schedule & ticket prices)
John
F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Renowned modern dancer Dana
Tai Soon Burgess and his company presented Tracings,
the world premiere of a Smithsonian and Kennedy Center co-commisioned
piece. Tracings
captures the dancer’s mother’s family’s journey
from Korea to the new world. Burgess’ mother’s family
arrived in 1903 on the first ship carrying Korean immigrants to Hawai'i.
A pre-performance event took place at the Smithsonian on Oct. 30,
during which Burgess introduced segments from Tracings and
spoke about his artistic process. One week later, full productions
of Tracings premiered at the Kennedy Center on November 6
and 7 at 7:30 in the Terrace Theater. |
| |
 |
 |
|
DECEMBER
4 Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
The next 100 years
Carmichael Auditorium
National
Museum of American History
Angela
Oh, attorney and Korean American activist; Shinae
Chun, the highest-ranking Korean American in the Bush administration
as director of the Women’s Bureau at the Department of Labor;
and Jeannie
Hong, the first Asian Pacific American judge in Maryland, explored
issues of race, business and politics which will face Korean Americans
in the 21st century. |
 |
 |
| |
| |