Keiko Fukazawa Retrospective: The Space Between at Contemporary Craft, February 7 – May 3.

Contemporary Craft will host Keiko Fukazawa Retrospective: The Space Between from February 7 through May 3, with a free artist-led tour on February 8. From today's press release:

Contemporary Craft Announces Keiko Fukazawa Retrospective: The Space in Between

 

PITTSBURGH, PA (January 2025) – Contemporary Craft is excited to announce its upcoming exhibition, Keiko Fukazawa Retrospective: The Space Between, on view February 7 – May 3, 2025. The exhibition features a comprehensive survey of California-based artist Keiko Fukazawa’s 40-year career, showcasing new works and archival materials. The opening reception will take place on Friday, February 7, 5:30 – 8:00 PM.

 

Influenced by her Japanese heritage and American environment, Fukazawa explores Asian pop culture and social issues through conceptual interpretations of traditional forms. Featuring 30 pieces, the exhibition is organized into three themes: “Culture Clash,” “ARTivism,” and “In Betweenness,” reflecting stages of Fukazawa’s creative evolution as an immigrant artist navigating cultural identities.

 

Through her use of porcelain, Fukazawa highlights ceramic artistry, process, and history advocating for the medium’s importance in the contemporary world. Keiko Fukazawa Retrospective offers a compelling narrative of artistic journey and cultural dialogue, showcasing Fukazawa’s enduring commitment to pushing boundaries and redefining the intersection of tradition, innovation and materiality with her practice.

 

“Keiko Fukazawa's work is eclectic, poignant and thought-provoking, exploring themes through distinctive material choices and symbolic representation. This retrospective spans 40 years of her creative evolution, weaving together her Japanese heritage and American environment through conceptual exploration”, said Yu-San Cheng, CC Director of Exhibitions and Operations. “The exhibition invites the audience on an emotional experience, evoking contemplation and insight as they engage with each piece. I hope these selections move you and inspire reflection."

 

Opening Weekend Events

 

Opening Reception: Friday, February 7, 5:30 – 8:00 PM. Free and open to the public. Join us as we celebrate the opening of Keiko Fukazawa Retrospective: The Space Between. Light refreshments will be served.

Artist Talk: Saturday, February 8, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Free, registration required. Keiko Fukazawa will be in the gallery discussing her work and answering questions from visitors.

2024 Japanese animated film The Colors Within (きみの色) in Pittsburgh, from January 23.

The 2024 Japanese animated film The Colors Within (きみの色) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters from January 23.

Totsuko is a high school student with the ability to see the ‘colors’ of others. Colors of bliss, excitement, and serenity, plus a color she treasures as her favorite. Kimi, a classmate at her school, gives off the most beautiful color of all. Although she doesn’t play an instrument, Totsuko forms a band with Kimi and Rui, a quiet music enthusiast they meet at a used bookstore in a far corner of town. As they practice at an old church on a remote island, music brings them together, forming friendships and stirring affections. Will they discover their true 'colors'?

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the Cinemark theater in Robinson through the 29th, though more locations are likely to be announced later. Tickets for the English-dubbed shows are available online now, with shows in Japanese with English subtitles likely to follow.

Spiral Symphony: A Chorus of Transformation and Renewal: The 28th Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Fair and Show, January 26.

The Carnegie Museum of Art will host "Spiral Symphony: A Chorus of Transformation and Renewal: The 28th Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Fair and Show" on January 26.

Inspired by the Year of the Snake, the 28th Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Celebration heralds the new year with a resplendent celebration of change and rebirth. Presented by the CASTP Organization, with support from Carnegie Museum of Art, this multicultural festival harmonizes ancient Lunar New Year traditions with global customs. Guests will embark on a mesmerizing journey through spiraling rhythms and evolving melodies, where the snake’s wisdom and symbolism come alive in spectacular performances and hands-on activities. This immersive experience invites attendees to shed the old and embrace the new, fostering a joyous chorus of global unity and growth as we step into the promising dawn of a new year.

The fair will be from 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and the concert will begin at 2:30 p.m.

Pittsburgh Japanese School still recruiting new teachers.

The Pittsburgh Japanese School, which provides Japanese-language education on Sundays to kids from preschool through high school, is still recruiting teachers and volunteers, particularly those qualified to teach preschool and elementary school level. A Pennsylvania teaching certificate is not required, but requirements beyond native-like fluency include work authorization in the United States and a college degree with a demonstrated ability to teach Japanese.

国際社会の未来を担う子供達を育てる、やりがいのある仕事です。

◆常勤講師３名

• • 幼稚部1名

  • 小学部2名　（高学年を担当できる方　国語と算数）

︎米国内で就労可能なビザ(E2,L2を含む)またはグリーンカードを有している方。

︎短大卒以上で日本語での指導が確かな方。

︎教員免許がなくても子供が好きで教育熱心な方。

︎平日に仕事を持っていても、開校日のために授業の前準備や採点処理が出来る方。

R.F. Kuang in Pittsburgh as part of Ten Evenings series, April 28.

Author R.F. Kuang will speak in Pittsburgh as part of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures' Ten Evenings series on April 28.

White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American–in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R.F. Kuang.

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

When June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song–complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, and Yellowface. Her work has won the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and British Book Awards. A Marshall Scholar, she has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale, where she studies diaspora, contemporary Sinophone literature, and Asian American literature.

Copies of the book are available to purchase at White Whale Bookstore, and tickets for the event are now available online. The event takes place at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland (map) and will also be livestreamed.

One Piece Music Symphony with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, January 25 and 26.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will perform One Piece Music Symphony on January 25 and 26.

The most memorable moments of the beloved TV series will be projected on a giant screen to the sound of a 50-musician orchestra!

It is time for an epic array of music full of action and emotion! Immerse yourself in the magic of a full orchestra as it performs One Piece’s iconic music live on stage, while the greatest moments from the anime come to life on screen in perfect sync. Relive the thrilling adventures of the Straw Hat Crew, all set to the vibrant sounds of the series’ most memorable music!

Join us for a special anniversary world tour that showcases a brand-new program from the world of One Piece. Experience the highlights from 25 years of adventures, including unforgettable moments with the entire Straw Hat Crew, all presented in a film concert with a giant screen projection! The music program of the One Piece Music Symphony will feature fan favorite songs like “We Are!,” “Sai sai saikyo!!!,” “Oitsumerareta,” and “Binks no Sake”, along with some new pieces specifically made for this anniversary celebration.

1962 Japanese film Harakiri (切腹) in Pittsburgh, January 9 - 15.

The 1962 animated film Harakiri (切腹) will play in Pittsburgh from January 9 through 15.

In 18th-century Edo, a masterless samurai (Tatsuya Nakadai) wanders into the virtuous House of Iyi, asking to commit ritual seppuku (suicide). He is met with skepticism by the clan’s retainers, who have learned of drifting ronin making similar requests as a means of extortion. Nevertheless, the samurai promises to disembowel himself, but not before imparting the tragic circumstances that have led him to this final act. Adorned by stunning chiaroscuro compositions, an unnerving Toru Takemitsu score, and a bitingly acerbic script by Kurosawa scribe Shinobu Hashimoto, director Masaki Kobayashi’s slow-burn rebuke of authority culminates in a scathing takedown of the bushido code and the shallow valor it vowed to uphold.

It plays in Japanese with English subtitles at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets are available online.

2006 Japanese animated film Paprika (パプリカ) in Pittsburgh, January 8, 9, and 12.

The 2006 Japanese animated film Paprika (パプリカ) will play in Pittsburgh on January 8, 9, and 12, part of the 2024-2025 Anime Expo Cinema Nights series.

Anime Expo Cinema Nights presents the 15th anniversary and a 4K restoration of the last film ever made by visionary director Satoshi Kon with his mind-bending thriller PAPRIKA. When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients’ dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson. Tickets are available online; the shows on the 8th and 12th are in Japanese with English subtitles, while the shows on the 9th are dubbed in English.

Monthly Chinese & English Storytime for kids, starting January 4 at Cooper-Siegel Library in Fox Chapel.

The monthly Chinese-English Storytime will continue in 2025 at the Cooper-Siegel Library with its first session on January 4.

Explore the Chinese language through bilingual songs, books, and playful experiences. This program is designed for kids in grades preschool - 2nd grade with their caregivers. This program occurs on the first Saturday of the month. Please register for all dates you plan to attend.

The event runs from 10:30 am to 11:30 am in the Verne C. Koch Program Room. Future sessions are scheduled for February 1, March 1, April 5, and May 3. (There are also Chinese-English Storytimes scheduled for January 17, February 15, March 15, and May 17, from 10:30 to 11:30 am, at the Sharpsburg Community Library.) Registration is required and can be completed online. The Cooper-Siegel Community Library is located at 403 Fox Chapel Rd. (map).

Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill in McCandless eyes January opening.

Photos from March 2024.

Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill in McCandless is aiming for a January opening. Work has been underway at the spot in McCandless Crossing---across from LaRoche University and in the outparcel shared with Midwest Shooting Center (map)---since July 2023.

Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill is among at least six all-you-can-eat Hot Pot and BBQ places planned for the Pittsburgh area since mid-2023 and in various stages of completion, including: Korean BBQ in Oakland, Kpot in Squirrel Hill, Top Pot Hotpot & Korean BBQ in the Southside, and a second Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill in Robinson; Hong BBQ & Hot Pot on McKnight Road is the only place to have opened so far. Running Dish was announced this fall for the Waterfront, planning to offer revolving sushi and Korean BBQ, but there is no timetable for completion.