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| 05 October 2011 |
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Moku hanga is a traditional Japanese woodblock printing technique. It is the most popular media used in the artistic genre of ukiyo-e. Moku hanga dates back to the Eighth Century as a method of reproducing Buddhist religious documents brought from China. This printing technique was exclusively practiced in Japanese Buddhist monasteries for the use of text reproduction up until the 17th century when the Japanese began using moku hanga for non religious purposes. During the 17th and 18th centuries the technique developed into an art form, a complex craft in which every step of the printing process was specialized and practiced by an individual artist. Although it is unusual for contemporary moku hanga artists to specialize in the steps of the printing process, the methods still remain quite similar to the system used in the 17th and 18th centuries. The design or text first must be drawn onto a paper that is glued onto a wooden board. Then, portions of the image are carved out of the wood according to what sections need to be printed. Water-based ink (a characteristic of moku hanga, as western printing processes tend to use oil-based ink) is then applied to the block. The paper is lined up and burnished using a baren, onto the block. When lifted, the paper is left with a print of the image on the block in ink. Printing presses are also used to burnish the paper in place of a baren.
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| 05 October 2011 |
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From October 30th, 2011 to January 29th, 2012 the Denver Art Museum will play host to an extraordinary collection of sixty-one works by the renowned Chinese artist, Xu Beihong, with an exhibition titled Xu Beihong: Pioneer of Chinese Painting. The exhibition will introduce visitors to Xu’s revolutionary style of traditional Chinese painting integrated with Western techniques that revolutionized the nation’s arts institutions, helping to reshape international perceptions of Chinese painting. The works, on loan from the Xu Beihong Memorial Museum in Beijing, include ink brush paintings, oil paintings, drawings, pastels and calligraphy. Most of the pieces have never before been on view in the United States, and trace the full arc of Xu’s career – from early landscape paintings and drawings created during his study in Europe, to portraits of political leaders including Mao Zedong and Mohandas Gandhi, to his iconic horse paintings. Xu Beihong was born into a poor family on July 19, 1895 in Yixing, Jiangsu Province. He studied Chinese classics, calligraphy, seal engraving and traditional Chinese painting from his father, a self-taught artist and portrait painter. In 1915 he moved to Shanghai where he earned a living selling his paintings and illustrations for publications. In 1919 he entered the the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in France on a government scholarship. Between 1919 and 1927, he studied sketching and oil painting in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland. His travels throughout Western Europe provided the opportunity to observe and master Western art techniques. |
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| 05 October 2011 |
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So many great events this month! First, get your sneakers on for Race for the Cure coming up on Sunday, October 2 at the Pepsi Center. On Friday, October 14, we invite you to our Joy of Living Dinner at Saigon Landing to enjoy Vietnamese cuisine. If you’d like to learn how to play Asian games such as mahjong or hanafuda, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival will be also be having a game night on the 14th at King’s Land Seafood Restaurant. To end the month, Asian Avenue magazine will host its first Halloween Party at 1515 Restaurant on Friday, October 28. Get your creativity on and enter the costume contest for prizes valued at more than $200! Hope to see you at these events this month! As students are back in school, campuses are bustling with activity and life. We take a look at colleges across the nation that are offering Asian American studies programs. Staff writer Patricia Kaowthumrong interviews Asian American professors and students to uncover the teachings of these programs and their importance. Asian American studies courses teach many aspects of Asian American history, literature, culture, identity and more. Students learn about the struggles and triumphs of Asians in America, which differs from East or South Asian Studies. Cross-cultural exchange also took place for Shohini Ghosh last month. She is a Denver sculptor, who was invited to Changchun, China to create a life-size bronze sculpture for the 12th China Changchun International Sculpture Symposium. Congratulations to her! Our spotlight section is on Michael Kim, aka Bishop, who has produced musical tracks, performed in hip hop shows and battle rapped across the nation, all at the age of 23. We sit down with him to unveil how he jumped into the hip hop and rap industry and what his plans are for the future. |
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| 12 September 2011 |
Dearest Readers,|
Quiet chatter and the distinctive clinking of tiles can be heard from the back of Seven Cups, a Chinese tea house on Denver’s South Pearl Street. Surrounded by authentic tea ware, old-fashioned lanterns and paintings of Chinese characters, four games of mahjong are in action. Players sip tea, line up the shiny tiles and make conversation. But they all have one common desire: to be the first to say “mahjong” and win the game. “If you say mahjong one more time, I am going to kick you under the table,” said Ken Carpenter to the young lady next to him. Carpenter has been coming to play mahjong at Seven Cups for weeks. He said he’s addicted. “I came for the tea, but stayed for the mahjong,” he said. “It is a game that is simple to learn, but takes a lifetime to master.” Although Carpenter was one of less than 20 individuals present at the Tuesday mahjong night, he is one of several individuals who have increasingly become more interested in Asian games. |
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| 12 September 2011 |
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On your mark, get set, and get ready for the 19th annual Susan G. Komen Denver Race for the Cure on Sunday, Oct. 2nd. Race registration is open and the Komen Denver Affiliate wants 2011 to “Ignite the Passion!” The race, starting and ending at the Pepsi Center, has three events: the 5K Inspiration Run, 5K Celebration Walk, and a Family 1 Mile Fun Walk. 
Race Times How to Register: Registering online is the fastest and easiest way to sign up, organize a team and raise money. Participants can register online at: www.komendenver.org/race. Event day registration will be available from 6:00 – 9:00 a.m. at the registration tent. How Are the Dollars Put to Work? The funds that are raised here are invested here. Seventy five percent of the net funds are returned to the service area in the form of grants for services to prevent and treat breast cancer. The remaining 25 percent of the funds raised here are pooled with money from other affiliates and distributed into the National Komen Award and Research Grant Program. It represents Denver’s contribution to finding the cure. The Komen Denver Affiliate is currently funding 29 projects in the Denver-metro area, totaling $2.9 million, funding everything from mammograms to mastectomies, mortgage payments and meals through qualified grantees. Denver Metropolitan Affiliate: 1835 Franklin Street, Denver, Colorado 80218 | 303-744-2088, Helpline 1-877-GO-KOMEN www.komendenver.org Junko Kazukawa 
Turning in a performance that far off your best time is usually cause for great disappointment and more than a little anguish. But for Junko it was nothing short of a celebration of life! Just over five weeks earlier, following a bilateral mastectomy in June, Junko completed her last chemotherapy treatment, laced up her running shoes, and picked up her training where she’d left off. It was a slow and often painful resumption, as the chemo played its ugly tricks and her fit body struggled to find its bearings again. One day was a glimmer of restored energy, but the next day was darkened by fatigue and unusually sore muscles. In July, 2005, during a self-exam, Junko discovered a lump in her left breast. She waited a week or so, hoping it would go away. Working as a personal trainer and running/cycling coach, she was also training for the infamous Leadville 100 Race Across the Sky. The lump did not go away, and Junko went to the doctor. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, but rather than “waste all that trai ning,” Junko successfully completed the race, and then went in for her lumpectomy. Following radiation, she began the 5-year hormone therapy regimen and felt reasonably confident she would be cancer-free. She had no family history of the disease and lived an active, healthy lifestyle. But, as too many know, cancer defies predictability. And once again, in June of 2009, Junko was diagnosed with a new cancerous tumor in the same breast. She opted for a bilateral mastectomy because she didn’t want to keep wondering if cancer would show up again. Now in 2011, Junko is 100% back, and has set her personal bar even higher! This year, Junko will be running the Leadville Trail 100 Run -- a 100-mile trail run. Junko’s latest athletic goal reflects her simple, matter-of-fact approach to all the challenges she’s faced. “I can do it,” you’ll hear her say. And in “doing it,” she inspires all of us to dig in when times get tough, and never, never quit!
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| 12 September 2011 |
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“All my volunteer work is a learning experience,” he said. “I don’t limit myself to any single volunteer effort. They are all very interesting.” A Korean War veteran and Hawaiian native, Yoshida worked as a clinical social worker for 35 years at Denver’s National Jewish Hospital. He retired in 1979. Decades of service and dedication to his community followed. From helping launch an Asian Film Festival to packing up medical supplies for developing countries in need at Project C.U.R.E., Yoshida’s efforts are diverse. He and his wife have volunteered for the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival for 10 years. In 2009, he co-chaired the festival’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hawaii’s statehood. Yoshida was also a community reporter for Asian American Times and refers many articles to Asian Avenue as one of the magazine’s advisors. He said he spends a lot of time on the computer keeping people updated on diverse activities in the community. No matter what activity, Yoshida said he tries to spread the word. |
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| 12 September 2011 |
George Yoshida’s vast accomplishments as a volunteer prove a thirst for knowledge does not diminish with age. At 78 years old, Yoshida says he is still learning.
2200 W Alameda Ave #5A | Denver, CO 80223-1947
If you’ve been around Denver and you love dim sum, you don’t need Michelle Kwan to tell you that Super Star Asian Cuisine has some of the best dim sum in town. Located in the newly remodeled Alameda Square, Super Star and the surrounding businesses have been given a much needed makeover. Despite its exterior improvements, inside Super Star still serves its tasty dim sum, but that’s not what we’re here for. Along with the new look comes two new head chefs bringing in a revamped menu filled with new tasty Chinese dishes. The chef’s new dishes were presented alongside beautiful sculptures made of fruits and vegetables. The Cantaloupe Seafood Stir-Fry was plated in a hallowed out cantaloupe which sat next to a radish bird perched on top of a carrot tree. The sweetness of the cantaloupe married perfectly with the mix of seafood delivering a sweet and savory taste. Similarly, the Pineapple Fried Rice was uniquely served inside a fresh pineapple. The French-style Steak was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers made of vegetables. And yes, the food did taste as good as it looked. Not to take away from the delicious Chinese specialities, but the chef’s knife work seemed to be the star of the show. It was hard to believe these sculptures were made out of food meant to be eaten. Even something as ordinary as the Sesame Chicken was made extraordinary by plating it inside a colorful array of thinly sliced fruits and vegetables. |
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| 12 September 2011 |
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Food Truck Fever: Concocting Asian fusion cuisines
In recent years during the recession, chefs and cooks have evolved the idea of food trucks into a trendy, niche concept for diners, who enjoy a diverse range of palates. Roving food trucks and carts, selling Korean BBQ and Vietnamese noodles, have become hugely popular in many urban centers, especially downtown areas.
Downtown Denver is embracing this concept by allowing these food trucks, with cutting-edge street food, to gather at the civic center area twice a week. Organized by the Civic Center Conservancy, the non-profit organization sets up a gathering place for both diners and chefs to gather at the park between the hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for anybody working or visiting downtown Denver. In 2010, about 15 trucks were retrofitted and revamped to be used as food trucks, according to The Denver Post.
Traditionally, food trucks head over to construction sites, both residential and business, to cater to workers, serving hot dogs, burgers and sandwiches. However, with the downsized housing market, owners of food trucks had to rethink their customer base.
With a spin of street foods from carnivals and fairs, the up-scale food trucks are creating bite-sized morsels reminiscent of backpacking cuisines. For example, backpackers can tuck away a sandwich, food on sticks or wrapped-up morsels of chicken with veggies.
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| 12 September 2011 |
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Banchan (pronounced “bonchon”) refers to the assorted side dishes served along with a main course in Korean cuisine. To get the most banchan, you must try Korean barbecue. The main course of the Korean barbecue experience is no doubt, the meat. However, surrounding the center grill on the table beside a large plate of marinated raw meat, pancakes and various pastes, at least 10 white palm-sized dishes look like mini-salads are served. These tapa-like dishes are Banchan. According to Wiki, Korean dinner parties can be classified by the number of dishes served. A royal Korean dinner includes 12 dishes, normally with an order of Korean barbecue meats and pancakes. It is not just a delightful meal, but a royal treat with grandeur. Today, most banchan in restaurants are green and cold. Based on American food culture, banchan can be categorized as salad. The most common banchan is kimchi, fermented vegetables, usually Napa cabbage and daikon, stuffed with a mix of garlic, salt, vinegar, chili peppers and other spices. It is said that Koreans eat so much of this super spicy condiment, at an average of 40 pounds per person each year. Kimchi to Koreans is similar to hamburgers to Americans and pizzas to Italians.
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| 12 September 2011 |
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West Gate Kung Fu Local martial arts students discovered a new school to practice the ancient Chinese art of Kung Fu, and not only have their bodies strengthened and their abilities improved, but they’ve gained valuable life skills. “Sifu Adam has been an amazing influence on my son Quinn... Adam has instilled patience, work ethic, confidence, and enthusiasm in our energetic but shy child, while still making each session fun and cool. Sifu Adam has a true gift with kids. I would highly recommend West Gate Kung Fu,” said Neal, a West Gate student. Another student, Scott Bartell, said, “As a graduate student of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Bagua and Qi-Gong studies have [given me] greater sensitivity and awareness of my own Qi and the Qi around me. I also find my alertness and focus in classes is greater.” |
