Target Free Day at Asian Art Museum on May 21

SAN FRANCISCO– The nation’s largest pan Asian street fair event has teamed up with one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Target is sponsoring complimentary admission to the Asian Art Museum on May 21st, in conjunction with the 7th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration held in the Civic Center and Little Saigon neighborhoods on the same day.

“We’re delighted to welcome fair-goers to our historic neighborhood and to our world renowned museum,” said Jay Xu, director of the Asian Art Museum. “The Asian Heritage Street Celebration just got a lot more fun with all of the FREE museum activities to commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. We thank Target for making this special day possible.”

“The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is about bringing together all the parts of Asian Pacific America,” said Ted Fang of the AsianWeek Foundation and founder of the Asian Heritage Street Celebration. “This multi-faceted partnership with Target stores and the Asian Art Museum is a great example of community assemblage in action.”

Doors at the museum open at 10 a.m. and the public is invited to participate in free cultural programming. (Please note that a $5 surcharge applies to the Bali exhibition for visitors over 17.) Here is a look at the schedule of events:

11am–3 pm

The public is invited to co-create site specific artwork with Nancy Hom on the front steps.

11am-3:30 pm
AHSC Student Art Display:
The Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC) Student Art Display will feature selected works from San Francisco Unified District Schools. In coordination with the AHSC School Awards, selected art pieces will represent schools being nominated for an award. The art pieces will include paintings, sculpture, and photography. The special one-day only Student Art Display will be open to the public as a program of the 7th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration and Asian Art Museum Free Day, sponsored by Target.

11–11:45 am and 1–1:45 pm
Art Explorers’ Docent Family Tour & Storytelling:
Families with 4, 5, and 6 year olds hunt for lions in the special exhibition, Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance. This get to know art tour encourages families to look at art, talk about what they see and listen to stories that bring the exhibition to life.

12–4 pm
Art Activity:
Create an original artwork inspired by objects in Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance.

12–4 pm
AsiaAlive:
Composers in Bali have at their command a rich palette of sounds and techniques, from the bronze sonorities of a large gamelan to precise interlocking rhythms and melodies. Composer I Made Arnawa demonstrates and explains a few of his favorite musical strategies. Composer Wayne Vitale translates.

12–1 pm
AHSC School Awards Ceremony:
As part of the Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC), organized by the AsianWeek Foundation and sponsored by Target, six local administrators, counselors, teachers, and/or staff from Bay Area schools will be honored for their commitment to the future generation of Asian Pacific Americans.

12:30 pm
Gamelan X Performance at the AHSC Cultural Stage:
World music ensemble, Gamelan X, presents dynamic, original music on the front steps of the museum. Drawing musical inspiration from Indonesian, Balkan, African, Indian and American traditions, Gamelan X combines complex interlocking rhythms and sinewy melodies into a visceral groove experience that excites and entrances its listeners.

1–3:30 pm
AHSC Cinema Showcase:
The AHSC Cinema Showcase celebrates local Asian American media and media makers. From emerging talent to celebrated media pioneers, this exciting collection of short films and music videos reveal the vibrant Asian American media arts scene here in the Bay Area. Many of these films were hits at the SF International Asian American Film Festival. From comedies to sci fi to social justice documentaries, there is something for everyone!

3:30–4 pm Bay Area Flash Mob:
With Janet Jackson as their current inspiration, the Bay Area Flash Mob is a fun-loving flash mob group who surprises the public with spontaneous performances of choreographed dances all over the S.F. Bay Area. The flash mob performance will take place in front of the Asian Art Museum steps. Be sure to join in on the Janet Jackson tribute!

WHAT: APA Heritage Month Celebration, hosted by Asian Art Museum, Target, and the Asian Heritage Street Celebration

WHEN: Saturday, May 21, 2011, 10am to 5pm

WHERE: Asian Art Museum, Samsung Hall, 200 Larkin Street San Francisco CA 94102

About the Asian Heritage Street Celebration
The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is a showcase of all Asian and Pacific Islander cultures. We promote Asian Pacific American identity by bringing together community, and encouraging the sharing of differences and appreciation of diversity. AHSC is the largest gathering of Asians in the country and is held every third Saturday of May in San Francisco, California. It is produced by the AsianWeek Foundation. AsianFairSF.com

About the Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum is a public institution whose mission is to lead a diverse global audience in discovering the unique material, aesthetic, and intellectual achievements of Asian art and culture. Holding more than 17,000 Asian art treasures spanning 6,000 years of history, the museum is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art.

• Information: (415) 581-3500 or www.asianart.org.

• Location: 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.

About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at 1,752 stores in 49 states nationwide and at Target.com. In addition, the company operates a credit card segment that offers branded proprietary credit card products. Since 1962, Target has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs; today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week. For more information about Target’s commitment to corporate responsibility, visit Target.com/hereforgood.