"Patterns & Portraits" artshow opening tonight!

"bric a brac" exhibit to close........

our current exhibit "bric a brac"......... a new collection of sculpture from j.shea will come to a close this week......... april 22nd........... so if you have not seen the show feel free to drop by the shop............... our next exhibit opens this friday night..... april 23rd..... its titled....... "patterns & portraits".........
it will include new paintings, sculpture, and furniture by eddie challed & ethan holman................ so please join us........

Epworth UMC Cultural School

I just wanted to inform that this month our Japanese meeting will be at the Epworth UMC Cultural School.

Below you can find the upcoming events including our Karuta meeting.

I hope to see you there.

Thank you,

Keiko

Epworth UMC Cultural School
Upcoming Classes
April 2010

Taketombo Sunday April 18th
3:00 - 4:30 PM 1333 SE 28th Ave Portland 97214
Taketombo literally means "bamboo dragonfly." These simple but fun flying toys are surprisingly easy to make with just two pieces of bamboo and a pocket knife. These began as inexpensive, homemade toys for Japanese kids in the countryside but now entertain children (and adults!) around the world. Instructor Ken Tomita is a local craftsperson and bamboo artisan who says he may even add a few twists to the basic taketombo design. See some of Ken's more "serious" work on his website:
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103246745742&s=206&e=001sISKXeVft3N3rEMia_zEuAjmU6mdE4ApucACZmV9tkO8hsw4aHfv6ioOE5Q4sBch_6eiUG8EHmhtzVG91edoZB4UMIdXXUl0ptHiH47iP0FrcwVdOSyHtQ==
Instructor: Ken TomitaNotes: Age 10 and older. Please bring a pocket knife from home.Class size limit: 12

Karuta Sunday April 25th
3:00 - 4:00 PM 1333 SE 28th Ave Portland 97214
Karuta is a Japanese card game where the object is to grab the required card from the pile as quickly as possible. As one person reads the clues aloud, the other players look for the correct card. Instructor Keiko Okuda is the owner of Lyrik, a coffeeshop on SE 39th & Lincoln. Keiko offers regular Japanese language conversation groups as well as karuta games at the shop so she's bringing the fun to us this particular weekend. If you enjoy the game, you'll have a spot to keep sharp on your skills!Instructor: Keiko OkudaNotes: Beginner level Japanese will be helpful to play.



General Information About Classes:

Please sign up for classes by contacting Michael Walcott-
michaelwalcott4@msn.com or 971-235-2478
Cost for individuals:$2 per class or $5 for all classes offered in April
Cost for families: $3 per class or $7 for all classes offered during the month

Fees can be waived on a need basis.

Please notify us if you cannot attend a class for which you have signed up.

Epworth UMC Cultural School Mission Statement:
"To strengthen and broaden the Epworth UMC community by offering classes on contemporary and traditional Japanese culture to the general public."
Epworth UMC Cultural School welcomes all without regard to age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Dia do CHORO Domingo, 18 Abril

My friend Peter asked me to post his event in our blog.
Choro is a Brazilian music that Zach and Simon played in January at the Portuguese night (you can listen to some of it in my old post). They are part of Brazillionaires together with Peter that could not come in January.
This event should be fun!

"bric a brac" opening

"bric a brac" opened on friday night............. we had a nice crowd...........g ood energy.........a nd amazing set of music provided by eddy paycheck , supplied the sound track to the new collection of art...........by j.shea...........lots of familiar faces were in the crowd.......as well a few new ones......thanks so much for coming by for unveiling of the work......... the show will remain exhibit till april 22nd.........so feel free to drop by the next few weeks.........the sculptures look pretty fresh in the natural light of the shop...................

J.Shea "Bric a Brac" exhibit

i'm in the final stages of completing my 1st collection of work for 2010.............its title is "bric a brac"...........and the opening reception for the new exhibit will happen this friday night.........march 19........at lyrik.............in portland ,or.........once the collection is installed and photographed i'll be posting some images of the new work............most likely friday morning...........

"bric a brac" .....is a new series of work by j.shea , created and derived by rumaging through garage sales.....flea markets and secondhand shops......
often these collected objects are broken......lost.......or forgotten.........and the process of tracking them down and finding them is just as meticulous as the
the work in the studio of reconfiguring them and breeding a new life into them............since relocating to portland 2 year ago.......shea has been collecting
these objects and emersing himself in the strange world of thrift store and flea market culture..........finding inspiration not only in the items for sale but in the people that create those environments like the vendors and the regulars............this new collection of work is created in various media......including
sculpture........carving............assemblege work.............either freestanding........hanging.......or in the artists familar shadow box style........the new
collection of work will remain on exhibit till april 22,2010

Brazilian Portuguese meeting

It ended up becoming a Brazilian music night as we were all astonished by Gina's beautiful voice! All we wanted was to hear her singing, and her Portuguese accent singing Bossa Nova was excellent!
We had also Capoeira PDX with their ladainhas that made us want to dance.
Thank you all, and especially to Gina and Alex.

Here is a video of Gina singing with Canta Nova, it is short, but it is all this site allows me to post: