Chinese Video Art & Documentary (1985-2005), from Gao Minglu’s Archive at Pitt, through March 21.

This evening there was an opening reception for an exhibition by Gao Minglu, currently a faculty member in the University of Pittsburgh's History of Art & Architecture department, which will run through March 21 in the Frick Fine Arts building (map). From the department's website:

The exhibition is curated by Gao Minglu, assisted by Madeline Eschenburg and other student interns of the gallery. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience Chinese artworks that have not been shown in the U.S. before, or have not previously been available in this part of the world.

This exhibition will feature video work from Chinese artists produced at the turn of the 21st century. Through these artworks, the curator intends to show how Chinese artists and intellectuals responded to the rapid political and economic changes in China in the late 20th century, and how artists used their eyes and even their own bodies to address certain social concerns. The videos can be categorized as documentation which features avant-garde activities such as performance and exhibitions, or video art with certain particular themes such as urbanization.

The University Art Gallery is located in the Frick Fine Arts building at the University of Pittsburgh. Public hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. The exhibition is open through Mar. 21st, but will be closed for spring break Mar. 10-14th. For more information, contact uag@pitt.edu or call 412-648-2423.

Panel discussion "Vietnam: New Lessons from an Old War, a Half-Century On" at Pitt, March 4.

The University of Pittsburgh Honors College will host a panel discussion on March 4, "Vietnam: New Lessons from an Old War, a Half-Century On".

Unlike other American wars, the Vietnam War never really ended. It is being re-fought in scholarly works, at college reunions, in family living rooms, and among veterans. Aside from the Civil War, Vietnam was America's most divisive military conflict, and the University of Pittsburgh's Honors College program features some of the war's most outspoken scholars, participants and journalists.

The panel consists of former Nebraska Senator and governor Bob Kerrey, journalist Peter Arnett, writers Edward G. Miller and Laura Palmer, and former director of the Harvard Kennedy School's Vietnam Program Thomas J. Vallely. It begins at 7:30 pm in the University Club's Second Floor Ballroom (map). Registration is required and can be completed online.

Yanlai Dance Academy's "Chinese Nutcracker", March 1.

Yanlai Dance Academy will present its annual performance on March 1 at the August Wilson Center downtown (map). This year's production is "Chinese Nutcracker":

The production borrows elements from the classic ballet, but infuses it with Chinese culture, costumes, traditions & dance. It is a family-friendly production which not only celebrates the cultural diversity of the Pittsburgh region, but also introduces Pittsburgh audiences to the beauty of Chinese dance.

There are two times, 4:30 and 7:30 pm, and tickets range from $15 to $50.

1929 film Piccadilly at Hollywood Theater, February 23.

The 1929 silent movie Piccadilly will play at The Hollywood Theater in Dormont on Sunday, February 23.

Starring cinema's first Chinese-American movie star and fashion icon, Anna May Wong, Piccadilly tells the story of a young Chinese woman, working in the kitchen at a London dance club, who is given the chance to become the club's main act - which soon leads to a plot of betrayal, forbidden love and murder.

It starts at 7:00 pm and tickets are $7 for seniors and students, and $10 for everyone else. The evening will also feature live music from Appalasia, a local group which

combines the influences of Appalachian and Asian music traditions with original composition and inspired improvisation to create their unique musical voice.

The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. (map) in Dormont and a block south of Potomac Station.

Pirates sign Taiwanese pitcher Yang to minor-league contract.

The Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday signed Taiwanese pitcher Yao-Hsun Yang (陽耀勳) to a minor-league contract. The 31-year-old Yang has pitched for Chinese Taipei in two World Baseball Classic series and spent the last several years with Fukuoka in Nippon Professional Baseball.

He is one of two Taiwanese players in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, along with catcher Jin-de Jhang (張進德).

*Including 1 Japanese

The Pittsburgh City Council proclamations this year and last that honor the local Organization of Chinese Americans branch contains the line

WHEREAS, since the 1800s, the local Chinese community has been an asset to the City of Pittsburgh and its social, cultural, and economic development[.]

I"ve written before about Pittsburgh's former Chinatown, but wanted to look a little closer at historical Chinese populations in and around the city. According to the 1900 Census of the United States (pages 637, 638, and 569), there were 154 Chinese in Pittsburgh that year, 28 in Allegheny city, and a total of 270 in Allegheny county. The Chinese population of the county was 126 in 1890, and 25 ten years before that. The earliest date for which there are data is 1870 (page 59); 14 Chinese people lived in the entire state, but a footnote points out that the number includes 1 Japanese.

"MEPPI Japan Lecture Series – Japanese Architects at Play", February 27.

Tezuka Architects Presented by Raymund Ryan from Carnegie Museum of Art on Vimeo.

"Japanese Architects at Play" is the next installment of the MEPPI Japan Lecture Series, and will be held at the Carnegie Museum of Art on February 27. The event looks at two Japanese artists with works on display in the 2013 Carnegie International art exhibition running through March 16; from the Japan-American Society of Pennsylvania:

Come out to play with the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania at the 2013 Carnegie International at the Carnegie Museum of Art! The Carnegie International is the preeminent exhibition of new international art in the United States. The 2013 Carnegie International presents new voices rooted in history, a sense of place, and play.

Curator of Architecture Raymund Ryan will guide guests around ‘The Playground Project,’ an exploration of the way we approach childhood, risk, public space, and education. Included are a new installation by Tezuka Architects, a road movie by Ei Arakawa and Henning Bohl, and mid-century designs by renowned Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi.

Registration is required, and can be done online via the JASP website before February 20.

2014 Kennywood Asian Day, May 12.

Kennywood Pagoda, copyright Kurt Miller.

Advance notice for the 2014 Asian Day, which kicks off Kennywood's community days on May 12. Kennywood's Asian Day and the Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival comprise Pittsburgh's two big events annual for Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month in May.

"Buddhism for the Unenlightened" lecture at Pitt, February 18.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh Asian Studies Center will present the lecture "Buddhism for the Unenlightened" on February 18, the first of four lectures in the "Japan in the Broader Context of Asia" series. Dr. Clark Chilson, an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Pitt, will speak on the 18th.

Join the JASP for “Japan in the Broader Context of Asia” lecture series at the University of Pittsburgh. This free program is presented courtesy of the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia at Pitt and the Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO). All presentations will be in 4217 WW Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh. Parking tags for free parking will be provided for Soldiers & Sailors Underground parking.

It runs from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, followed by a question-and-answer session and a reception until 8:00 pm.

Lecture "What Influences Income in the Fisheries of South Korea?" at Pitt, February 13.

The Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh will host PhD candidate student Seyeon Hwang and her lecture "What Influences Income in the Fisheries of South Korea?" on February 13 as part of the Asia Over Lunch lecture series. It takes place at 12:00 pm in room 4130 Posvar Hall (campus map) and is free. Upcoming lectures in the series this term are printed on the flyer above.