Special Events
MATCHA is the Asian Art Museum’s evening mixer series where you can experience the museum in a lively, social, nighttime setting. Take in mesmerizing performances, create art, tour galleries and the latest special exhibition, catch a talk, mingle over cocktails, enjoy a DJ’s spinning and more. Click here for more information.
MATCHA: Eye of the Tiger
Thursday, February 18
5:00-9:00 pm
$10 Admission (includes entry to Shanghai)
2010 is the Year of the Tiger! MATCHA kicks off the Chinese Lunar New Year, and our special exhibition Shanghai, with riveting tiger-style kung fu (a martial art) demonstrated by monks from the Shaolin Temple USA in San Francisco. Both Shaolin kung fu and Chan (Zen) Buddhism originated from the 1,500-year old Songshan Shaolin Temple in central China. Each mode of Shaolin kung fu is associated with an animal, and in Chinese culture, the tiger is king and symbolizes bravery. Its kung fu style involves footwork, acrobatic kicks, and unique fist positions, relying solely on internal power, simplicity, and explosive force.
The evening also includes art activities, docent conversations about Lunar New Year, Chan Buddhism, and the Shanghai exhibition, Shanghai dumpling samples, cash bar specials, and DJ music. MATCHA is the Asian Art Museum’s evening mixer that invites visitors to experience the museum in a lively, social, nighttime setting. They can take in mesmerizing performances, create art, tour galleries and the latest special exhibition, drop in on a talk, mingle over cocktails, enjoy a DJ’s spinning and more.
MATCHA: Shanghai Jazz
Thursday, April 1
5:00 to 9:00 pm
$10 Admission (includes entry to Shanghai)
Dubbed “the boy Billie Holiday,” Coco Zhao performs an intimate set of original works and Shanghai jazz favorites, in conjunction with the special exhibition Shanghai. Jazz thrived in Shanghai’s colorful cabarets and dance halls during the ‘20s and ’30s. Suppressed during the Cultural Revolution, it’s enjoyed a renaissance thanks to a new generation of jazz musicians. Zhao cross-pollinates Mandarin vocals with distinct sounds of contemporary American jazz; his unique heritage (his parents performed traditional Chinese opera) is infused with youthful interpretations. Zhao’s distinctive style transcends cultures, as evidenced by his sensational reception at the 2007 Montreal Jazz Festival and his performance at the Kennedy Center.
MATCHA is the Asian Art Museum’s evening mixer that invites visitors to experience the museum in a lively, social, nighttime setting. They can take in mesmerizing performances, create art, tour galleries and the latest special exhibition, catch a talk, mingle over cocktails, enjoy a DJ’s spinning and more.
MATCHA: The Shanghai Dress
Thursday, June 3
5:00 to 9:00 pm
$10 Admission (includes entry to Shanghai)
Inspired by the stylish, sophisticated form-fitting qipao dress created in Shanghai during the 1920s, this MATCHA showcases the work of Shanghai qipao designer and entrepenuer Jane Zhu. Born in Shanghai and uprooted to Palo Alto, Cambridge, New York, Paris, Singapore and finally back to Shanghai again, Zhu has studied the ever-rarer art of qipao patternmaking and master construction from various master qipao tailors (si-fu). Celebrated in Shanghai and New York for her contemporary qipao designs and made-to-order high-end qipao boutique (Qipao by Jane), her work has been featured in Vogue, Elle China, Harper's Bazaar China, Newsweek, and numerous other publications in China.
At the June MATCHA, Zhu will showcase several of her contemporary qipao designs and give a talk on the history and construction of qipao dresses. Learn how to make your own traditional Chinese button, design your own ready-to-wear pin-back button, chat with a docent in the Shanghai galleries, hang out with friends over cocktails and music by DJ Quantum (bluEDGE Productions), and revel in the pleasure of fashion, design, and Asian art.
Please note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Colleen Quen will not be participating as originally announced.
MATCHA: Drunken Dish
Thursday, August 19
5:00-9:00 pm
$10 Admission (includes entry to Shanghai)
One of the most famous culinary regions in China is Shanghai. Its rich Yangtze Delta is a lush garden of vegetables and fruit, and its cuisine is assertively flavored, expressing a flair characteristic of the city itself. A Shanghai specialty is sumptuous, velvety meat and fish braised with soy sauce, sugar and a splash of vinegar. Also in Shanghai’s gastronomic repertoire are “drunken dishes,” in which food is marinated in the renowned wine of nearby Shaoxing. Tonight's MATCHA, co-presented by the Asian Culinary Forum, includes a talk about Shanghai’s signature dishes and a cooking demonstration of drunken chicken. Sample Shanghainese cuisine and enjoy no-host drinks and access to the special Shanghai exhibition.
