Entryway to the East
Amidst the always-remarkable environment of Richmond's First Friday events coming this weekend the wandering fire jugglers, breath-taking art displays and thousands of curious Richmonders hitting the streets to soak it all in another side of the River City's multi-faceted culture is getting some time in the spotlight as well. An entire month's worth, to be exact.
In partnership with the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce (VACC) , Jackson Ward's Gallery5 on 200 W. Marshall Street will kick off "Gateway Asia 2007" , a month-long celebration featuring Asian-themed arts, food, dance, lectures and more, this Friday.
All of the month's events, which are free to the public, aim to educate people on all that the immense continent of Asia has to offer through cultural and economic development.
"It's nice to be able to mix both the visual and performing arts with social and economic [discussion]," said Amanda Robinson of Gallery5, co-organizer for "Gateway Asia." Following the rave reviews of Gallery5's similarly-styled Russian culture event in November, "Mending Fences," the VACC approached the art gallery with the idea of doing a similar, Asia-themed event.
"I think the public, a lot of the time, sees Asian businesses
but they're never exposed to the ethnicity to the extent [that they should be]," said Tinh Phan , chairman of the VACC and a "Gateway Asia" co-organizer. "A lot of people don't understand what Asian culture is. All you hear about is 'chopstick' you know, the exotic foods and things like that. But we have more than that."
Friday's opening reception, which begins at 7 p.m., will feature visual works by several internationally-known artists, including Virginia Commonwealth University professor and artist Erjun Zhao and Lucian Dulfan , an artist whose works on Pacific-Asian themes have been placed in venues all throughout the globe.
Robinson said that Dulfan is the most well-known artist Gallery5 has ever had the pleasure of working with. "Kings and queens and palaces and museums of modern art all across the world have pieces of his collection," Robinson said.
Those looking for more than exotic artwork will be happy to know that it hardly stops there traditional dances from various Asian countries will be performed throughout the night, including the Lion Dance Parade, which will travel up and down Broad Street to begin the night.
Japanese comic book art, known as manga , will be on display and for sale by local comic book shop Velocity Comics , and in Gallery5's upstairs space traditional Southeast Asian music will be performed. Cambodian music and Kung Fu are just two of the many featured events in Gallery5's downstairs area. Bina Shah , a Richmond resident originally from India who performs many traditional Indian dances, will be performing a centuries-old stick dance known as "Gujarat" at the opening reception as well as at the "Gateway" event "Asian Bizarre Market Day" on Saturday, May 19.
Shah said that she's always enjoyed teaching others about her native country, and that "Gateway Asia 2007" is extremely conducive to becoming more knowledgeable about Asia, which is made up of 37 countries and is the world's largest and most heavily-populated continent.
"I've been here for the last 20 to 40 years and enjoying U.S. culture, so I want people to know where I come from, and how exciting it is to know another country's [customs]," she said.
Phan said the Richmond community has responded very positively to "Gateway Asia's" multi-cultural exhibition, and he looks forward to making it an annual event at Gallery5.
"Every single year, [we'll] have a focus, more highlights, on other parts of the culture. We tried to give just a little bit of everything this year, but we are going to possibly re-strategize and focus on a more defined area next year, and the years after that," Phan said.
Listed below are several other Gateway Asia highlights taking place throughout the coming month (all events are free to attend): Thursday, May 10 With lectures being held every Tuesday and Thursday, two speakers will give insight on the topics of religious freedom and traditional Asian health values on May 10. "Religious Freedom in South East Asia and Laos" and "The Dangers of Commercialization of Asian Traditional Health Values" will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at Gallery5. Saturday, May 12 Familiarize yourself with various martial art forms, an ancient and proud form of Asian expression, at "A Day of Martial Arts," being held at Abner Clay Park at the corner of Brook Road and Leigh Street. Four organizations from across Richmond will be on hand to teach the basics of Tai Chi, Kung Fu and more. Stay for lectures on the history of each style and sign up for formal classes if you'd like. This event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 15 Western culture has long looked to the East for alternatives to modern medicine. Attend the lecture "Tao of Wellness: Traditional Asian Methods of Optimizing Health" at Gallery5. The event will also feature herbal tea sampling and sale by CaryTown Teas . The event will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 19 The last big "Gateway Asia 2007" event, the "Asian Bizarre Market Day" at Gallery5 will host dozens of the Richmond's Asian businesses, dancers, musicians and food vendors for a total immersion in Asian customs and culture from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. After 4, stick around for the "Bollywood Film Fest" lecture to find out the history behind the "Hindi cinema." For more information on "Gateway Asia 2007," visit Gallery5's website at www.gallery5arts.com .
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