Asian America

Join influential playwright Philip Kan Gotanda to get the inside scoop on the ideas and inspirations behind his groundbreaking body of work, including his play, After the War Blues, which explores the lives of a diverse community in San Francisco’s Japantown in the aftermath of World War II. Gotanda, who teaches theater at UC Berkeley, appears in conversation with Michael Omi, associate professor of Asian American and Asian diaspora studies at UC Berkeley. To set the stage, local actors and musicians perform scenes from Gotanda’s plays. Warning: Contains explicit language.

Catherine Ceniza Choy discusses the history of Filipino nurses at the 2011 Filipino American History Month Celebration at the Asian Art Museum.

Oscar Penaranda discuses the history of Filipino migrant workers at the 2011 Filipino American History Month Celebration at the Asian Art Museum.

James Sobredo gives a talk on Filipino martial arts and martial artist Sergeant Leo Giron at the 2011 Filipino American History Month Celebration at the Asian Art Museum.

Members of the Bay Area Filipino community discuss the importance of collecting Philippine art at the Asian Art Museum.

Inspired by the British Museum’s video Hajj Stories, staff at the Asian Art Museum asked Bay Area Muslims who have performed the hajj to share experiences of their journeys.

Inspired by the British Museum’s video Hajj Stories, staff at the Asian Art Museum asked Bay Area Muslims who have performed the hajj to share experiences of their journeys.

Artist Joanna Swan discusses India and her work during the during the PechaKucha Night at the Asian Art Museum.

The Buddha—that is, the “Enlightened One”—lived nearly 2500 years ago in northern India. His followers have always seen his life as a shining example to all, but what “really happened” is now impossible to know for certain. Even the earliest stories of his life include miraculous events that may seem hard to take literally. Later versions are even more elaborate, and they differ from one another in many details.