Society for Asian Art Programs: Member Events

Member Events

Re-orienting Occidental Art: Eastern Influences in the West
With Reem Al-Alusi

When: Saturday, November 7
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Place: Education Studio
Fee: $15 members, $25 non-members

Far from being an isolated series of events, the development of European architecture was seminally shaped by contact with the East. In this talk, Ms. Al-Alusi will give us a broad overview of the history of Western art and architecture, paying special attention to the global flows and Eastern influences that shaped the Western aesthetic.

During the Middle Ages, political, religious, and cultural boundaries blurred and did not crystallize into the hard borders of the modern nation-state until recently. During this period of immense creativity and experimentation, cultural cross-pollination was the rule. Ms. Al-Alusi will give us concrete examples of how the constructed mythologies and self images of western cities, dynasties and even the Papacy itself drew on Eastern philosophies and formal elements for inspiration. The talk will be illustrated with examples from Rome to San Francisco – and almost everywhere in between!

Reem Al-Alusi earned her master's in the history and philosophy of architecture from the University of Cambridge, where her thesis was on the Eastern Influences on the Italian High Baroque. She specializes in the art and architecture of Spain and Italy as these two countries were the points of contact for much Eastern influence, particularly via the Islamic empire, on Europe in the Middle Ages. She has lectured on art and architecture in the UK and in the US.

CANCELLED
Soiree Chez Gervais: An Evening of Food for the Soul: Art, Music, Dance, Cuisine, and Conviviality; Three dealers in Asian art under one roof, a dance performance, and a catered supper

Holiday Party at INJA Gallery
Inja Yang's Gallery space in the Takahashi building
When: Thursday, December 3
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Place: 215-15th Street (between Henry Adams and Rhode Island)
Fee: Members $25; Non-members $35
Note: Street parking is available

Celebrate the holiday season with a visit to Inja Yang's spectacular Asian showroom. She will be having a one time only exhibition and sale of more than 100 unusual Buddhas from Burma, Laos, and Thailand. The items are from various private and museum collections and have been assembled over the last 14 years. The collection includes Buddhas with unusual mudras, a Burmese mountain temple scene and a House of Jewels.

Her usual lovely holiday items will also be on view. Wine and hors d'oevres will be served. Come and join us for a festive evening to usher in the holidays.

From the Church Missionary Society to the Mitsui Zaibatsu:
Collectors and Collections of the C.Z. Starr East Asian Library, UC, Berkeley
With Deborah Rudolph

When: Friday, December 4
Time: 2:00 pm -4 pm
Place: Education Studios
Fee: $15 members; $25 non-members, space limited, registration required

The University of California, Berkeley had been acquiring monographs and periodicals in East Asian languages for half a century when, in 1948, the newly established East Asiatic Library sent Elizabeth McKinnon to Tokyo to purchase materials to support its expanding Japanese studies program.

The books, manuscripts, graphics, and ephemera that McKinnon ultimately purchased more than doubled the size of the Library's holdings, bringing to Berkeley collections and individual works that were once in the hands of celebrated scholars, intellectuals, and bibliophiles.

This talk will introduce those collections and collectors, as well as others in the rare book room of the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, occasionally focusing on works of particular interest.

Deborah Rudolph holds a PhD in classical Chinese from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master's in library science from UCLA. Both her father and husband's father collected early Japanese and Chinese books and manuscripts. She is the author of the opulently produced, brilliantly designed and lucidly expressed Impressions of the East: Treasures from the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, UC Berkeley.

Buddha in the 21st Century
With Sandra Cate

When: Friday, December 11
Time: 2:00 pm - 4 pm
Place: Education Studio
Fee: $15 members, $25 non-members

Contemporary artists working throughout mainland Southeast Asia continue to draw artistic inspiration from the Buddha and His teachings. In all genres painting, sculpture, architecture, installation, fiber, video, film, and participatory art we find the Buddha himself, monks, and Buddhist doctrine, as well as enactments of Buddhist practice. Some artists work with artistically safe neo-traditional Buddhist themes, equating their religion and cultural identity. Others push at the boundaries of the socially acceptable to make pointed political and social critiques. Collectively, their work addresses profound questions of spirituality, the individual, society, and life and death in the modern world.

Focusing on Buddhism in art since 2000, this presentation surveys a wide range of Thai, Burmese, Cambodian, and Lao artists. It explores the spiritual underpinnings of their work and their diverse and often startling representations of the Buddha and of Buddhist doctrine. We see how the centuries-old traditions of Buddhist art are finding fresh, provocative new interpretations in old and new media

Anthropologist and folklorist Dr. Sandra Cate explores art and the material and expressive culture of Southeast Asia. She has researched and written on Buddhist temple murals, contemporary art, silk weaving, Lao fashion, Miao/Yao embroidery, narrative festival scrolls, and traffic jams in Bangkok. Her current research focuses on relational aesthetics interactive art in Thailand. Her books include Making Merit, Making Art: A Thai Temple in Wimbledon and Converging Interests: Travelers, Traders, and Tourists in Southeast Asia. She teaches anthropology at San Jose State University and has also taught at UC Santa Cruz and Mills College.




			Member Events Re-orienting Occidental Art: Eastern Influences in the West With Reem Al-Alusi When: Saturday, November 7 Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Place: Education Studio Fee: $15 members, $25 non-members Far from being an isolated series of events, the development of European architecture was seminally shaped by contact with the East. In this talk, Ms. Al-Alusi will give us a broad overview of the history of Western art and architecture, paying special attention to the global flows and Eastern influences that shaped the Western aesthetic. During the Middle Ages, political, religious, and cultural boundaries blurred and did not crystallize into the hard borders of the modern nation-state until recently. During this period of immense creativity and experimentation, cultural cross-pollination was the rule. Ms. Al-Alusi will give us concrete examples of how the constructed mythologies and self images of western cities, dynasties and even the Papacy itself drew on Eastern philosophies and formal elements for inspiration. The talk will be illustrated with examples from Rome to San Francisco – and almost everywhere in between! Reem Al-Alusi earned her master's in the history and philosophy of architecture from the University of Cambridge, where her thesis was on the Eastern Influences on the Italian High Baroque. She specializes in the art and architecture of Spain and Italy as these two countries were the points of contact for much Eastern influence, particularly via the Islamic empire, on Europe in the Middle Ages. She has lectured on art and architecture in the UK and in the US. CANCELLED Soiree Chez Gervais: An Evening of Food for the Soul: Art, Music, Dance, Cuisine, and Conviviality; Three dealers in Asian art under one roof, a dance performance, and a catered supper Holiday Party at INJA Gallery Inja Yang's Gallery space in the Takahashi building When: Thursday, December 3 Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Place: 215-15th Street (between Henry Adams and Rhode Island) Fee: Members $25; Non-members $35 Note: Street parking is available Celebrate the holiday season with a visit to Inja Yang's spectacular Asian showroom. She will be having a one time only exhibition and sale of more than 100 unusual Buddhas from Burma, Laos, and Thailand. The items are from various private and museum collections and have been assembled over the last 14 years. The collection includes Buddhas with unusual mudras, a Burmese mountain temple scene and a House of Jewels. Her usual lovely holiday items will also be on view. Wine and hors d'oevres will be served. Come and join us for a festive evening to usher in the holidays. From the Church Missionary Society to the Mitsui Zaibatsu: Collectors and Collections of the C.Z. Starr East Asian Library, UC, Berkeley With Deborah Rudolph When: Friday, December 4 Time: 2:00 pm -4 pm Place: Education Studios Fee: $15 members; $25 non-members, space limited, registration required The University of California, Berkeley had been acquiring monographs and periodicals in East Asian languages for half a century when, in 1948, the newly established East Asiatic Library sent Elizabeth McKinnon to Tokyo to purchase materials to support its expanding Japanese studies program. The books, manuscripts, graphics, and ephemera that McKinnon ultimately purchased more than doubled the size of the Library's holdings, bringing to Berkeley collections and individual works that were once in the hands of celebrated scholars, intellectuals, and bibliophiles. This talk will introduce those collections and collectors, as well as others in the rare book room of the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, occasionally focusing on works of particular interest. Deborah Rudolph holds a PhD in classical Chinese from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master's in library science from UCLA. Both her father and husband's father collected early Japanese and Chinese books and manuscripts. She is the author of the opulently produced, brilliantly designed and lucidly expressed Impressions of the East: Treasures from the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, UC Berkeley. Buddha in the 21st Century With Sandra Cate When: Friday, December 11 Time: 2:00 pm - 4 pm Place: Education Studio Fee: $15 members, $25 non-members Contemporary artists working throughout mainland Southeast Asia continue to draw artistic inspiration from the Buddha and His teachings. In all genres painting, sculpture, architecture, installation, fiber, video, film, and participatory art we find the Buddha himself, monks, and Buddhist doctrine, as well as enactments of Buddhist practice. Some artists work with artistically safe neo-traditional Buddhist themes, equating their religion and cultural identity. Others push at the boundaries of the socially acceptable to make pointed political and social critiques. Collectively, their work addresses profound questions of spirituality, the individual, society, and life and death in the modern world. Focusing on Buddhism in art since 2000, this presentation surveys a wide range of Thai, Burmese, Cambodian, and Lao artists. It explores the spiritual underpinnings of their work and their diverse and often startling representations of the Buddha and of Buddhist doctrine. We see how the centuries-old traditions of Buddhist art are finding fresh, provocative new interpretations in old and new media Anthropologist and folklorist Dr. Sandra Cate explores art and the material and expressive culture of Southeast Asia. She has researched and written on Buddhist temple murals, contemporary art, silk weaving, Lao fashion, Miao/Yao embroidery, narrative festival scrolls, and traffic jams in Bangkok. Her current research focuses on relational aesthetics interactive art in Thailand. Her books include Making Merit, Making Art: A Thai Temple in Wimbledon and Converging Interests: Travelers, Traders, and Tourists in Southeast Asia. She teaches anthropology at San Jose State University and has also taught at UC Santa Cruz and Mills College.

Re-orienting Occidental Art: Eastern Influences in the West With Reem Al-Alusi

When: Saturday, November 7 Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Place: Education Studio Fee: $15 members, $25 non-members

Re-orienting Occidental Art: Eastern Influences in the West
With Reem Al-Alusi

When: Saturday, November 7
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Place: Education Studio
Fee: $15 members, $25 non-members