Sakura Festival Events Planned at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Capstone International Center’s Japan Culture and Information Center will present the 21st annual Sakura Festival with events scheduled March 1-31.

The festival provides an opportunity to experience Japanese culture through lectures, exhibits, demonstrations, a Haiku contest and other activities. The theme for this year’s festival is “tomoshibi” or light, to represent joy, understanding and friendship.

As in years past, the Sakura Festival is expected to attract people from around the Southeast. Although many events will take place on the UA campus, some activities will be held in the Tuscaloosa community. Most events are free to the public.

A schedule of 2007 Sakura Festival events includes:

• The 9th Annual Art Contest of the 21st Sakura Festival at Tuscaloosa Sister Cities Commission
  Friday, Feb. 23 Deadline
  Art Contest theme: “An Open and Accessible World for All” The contest is open to children from 1st through 12th grades from Narashino, Japan, Schorndorf, Germany, and Tuscaloosa City Schools. Any medium may be used on poster paper no larger than 24×30 inches. The artwork will be judged on Tuesday, Feb. 27 and will be on display in the Center Court of McFarland Mall, from Feb. 28 to March 4. Information is available from Lisa Keyes at 205/ 469-2183 or lykeyes@dbtech.net.

• TV Appearances on “Great Day Tuscaloosa”
  Tune in to “Great Day Tuscaloosa” on Comcast Cable Channel 20 to enjoy Japan’s traditional cultural activities and preview upcoming Sakura Festival activities at noon on these dates:

  Monday, Feb. 26	Tuscaloosa Sister Cities Commission
  Tuesday, Feb. 27	Nozomi Daiko (Japanese Drum)
  Wednesday, Feb. 28	Ukiyoe
  Thursday, March 1	Children’s Hands-On-Museum (CHOM)
  Friday, March 2	Tuscaloosa City Library
  Monday, March 5	Japanese Anime Night at Bama Theatre
  Thursday, March 22	Alan Gratz, Author of “Samurai Shortstop”

• The 17th Annual Haiku Contest of the 21st Sakura Festival
  Thursday, March 1 Deadline
  With its theme of light/tomoshibi, the Haiku contest provides an opportunity to capture images of “light” from their hearts for a bright future. The winning entries in either English or Japanese are published in an attractive booklet. Winners receive prizes. Information and entry forms are available from the UA Capstone International Center Japan Program at 205/348-5312, or http://bama.ua.edu/~jprogram/sakura.

• Exhibit: Ukiyoe: Pictures of the Floating World
  Opening Reception, Thursday, March 1
  6:30 p.m., Art Gallery, Ferguson Center
  Viewed at other hours by appointment with Catherine Pagani, 205/348-1428.
  Admission is free.
  The Ferguson Center Art Gallery will be the site of an exhibit of Japanese woodblock prints. Included in the exhibit are examples of ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” from the 17th-19th centuries by masters Utamaro, Hiroshige and Hokusai. This exhibit will also feature works by modern masters. A gallery talk on the history of Japanese woodblock prints will be given in conjunction with the exhibit.

• Sakura Festival at the Children’s Hands-On-Museum, CHOM
  Thursday, March 1 – Saturday, March 31
  Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., closed Sunday
  CHOM, 2213 University Boulevard, Downtown Tuscaloosa
  Information is available at 205/349-4235, Admission is charged
  Celebrate Sakura with a visit to CHOM’s Japan House, an authentic replica of a Japanese home. The Japan House will feature a “Girl’s Day” exhibit, highlighting this unique holiday and the cultural role of girls in Japan. Visitors will be able to create kimono doll bookmarks every day. No additional fee charged.

Every Day:
Kimono Doll Bookmarks, 2 – 4 p.m.
Saturday March 3
Origami Kimono Dolls, 10 a.m. – noon, 2– 4 p.m.
Saturday March 10
The Cherry Blossom Pictures, 10 a.m.–noon, 2–4 p.m.
Saturday March 17
Japanese Fans, 10 a.m.–noon, 2–4 p.m.
Saturday March 24
Framed Paper Dolls, 10 a.m.–noon, 2–4 p.m.
Saturday March 31
Origami Samurai Helmets, 10 a.m.–noon, 2–4 p.m.

• Exhibit:
  The Art of Books: Publishers’ Bindings and the Artistic Styles & Movements Represented and Reflected, 1815-1930
  Opens Monday, March 5 (closed for spring break, March 12-16)
  Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  Thursday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
  W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, UA, Mary Harmon Bryant Hall
  Information is available from Jessica Lacher-Feldman at hooleinfo@bama.ua.edu or at 205/348-0500. Admission is free.
  The Art of Books highlights some of these movements as represented on publishers’ bindings and feature beautiful books featured in the Publishers’ Bindings Online project. The exhibit will feature books with Japanese stylistic influence including titles from the Lafcadio Hearn/Yakumo Koizumi Collection held at the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library.
  This exhibit features the major artistic movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries as represented on book bindings. This exhibit is being held in conjunction with the UA Libraries collaborative digital project Publishers’ Bindings Online, 1815-1930: The Art of Books. http://bindings.lib.ua.edu

• Japanese Anime Night at the Bama Theatre
  Tuesday, March 6 – “Mononoke Hime/Princess Mononoke”
  In Japanese with English subtitles
  7:30 p.m., Bama Theatre, 600 Greensboro Ave., Downtown Tuscaloosa
  Information available from David Allgood, 205/758-5195, ext. 18.
  Admission is $5
  The Japanese Film Festival will be held as part of Sakura in conjunction with Arts & Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa County Inc.

• Doll Festival/Hina Matsuri Exhibit at the Japan Culture and Information Center Wednesday, March 7
  3– 4 p.m.
  B.B. Comer Hall, room 121F, UA Capstone International Center
  Viewed at other hours by appointment with Satoko Seale, 205/348-5311 or satoko@bama.ua.edu
  Admission is free
  Beautiful dolls representing the traditional Japanese royal court will be on display in the tatami room. These precious dolls have been handed down from generation to generation. The Doll Festival, which was originally a purification ritual, represents a day of hope for the growth, happiness and future of young girls. Japanese refreshments will be served.

• A “Taste” of Japan
  Wednesday, March 21
  Noon – 1 p.m., B.B. Comer Hall, room 121, UA Capstone International Center
  Call 205/348-5311 for information
  Admission is free
  Enjoy tasting Japan’s favorite dishes of rolled o-sushi, onigiri/rice ball and okonomiyaki/a Japanese pizza

• Lecture: Alan Gratz will speak about his book, “Samurai Shortstop” at the Tuscaloosa Public Library on Wednesday, March 21, 6:30 p.m.
  Rotary Room, Tuscaloosa Public Library
  1801 Jack Warner Parkway, Tuscaloosa, and on
  Thursday, March 22, 4 p.m., Brown Branch, Bobby Miller Activity Center
  300 Bobby Miller Parkway, Tuscaloosa
  Contact Elizabeth Bradt, 205/345-5820
  Admission is free

• Let’s Go Fly a Kite!
  Tuesday, March 13, 3:30 p.m., Tuscaloosa Public Library
  Thursday, March 15, 10 a.m., Taylorville Brown Branch
  Thursday, March 15, 2:30 p.m., Weaver Bolden Library
  Come celebrate spring break by making and flying your own hand built kite
  Program is designed for children in 1st through 5th grade
  A display of Japanese traditional crafts can be viewed in the exhibit case in the lobby of the Tuscaloosa Public Library during the month of March.

• Ikebana Workshop/Japanese Flower Arrangement at the Birmingham Public Library, Saturday, March 24, 2– 4 p.m.
  Story Castle, Youth Department, Birmingham Public Library
  Contact Haruyo Miyagawa, 205/226-3670
  Learn the basics of Japanese flower arranging in this hands-on workshop. Jessie Bean, president of the Ikebana International Jefferson County, Chapter 137 will show how to create arrangements of elegant beauty using just a few simple elements. Advance registration is required. $25 for two arrangements will be charged for a two-hour lesson.

• Matsuri/Festival in the Mall
  Saturday, March 3, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  McFarland Mall Center Court
  900 Skyland Blvd. East, Tuscaloosa
  Matsuri in the Mall offers an opportunity to experience Japanese culture through a variety of Japanese cultural exhibits and performances. The event hopes to build friendship and to increase an understanding of the country and people of Japan. More information is available at 205/348-5311, UA Japan Culture & Information Center, satoko@bama.ua.edu.

For more information about Sakura Festival events, contact the UA Japan Program at 205/348-5312, 348-5311, http://bama.ua.edu/~jprogram/sakura.