Sunday, January 29, 2006

Happy Lunar New Year, mi gente





It's El Año del Perro, the Year of the Dog and how better to celebrate than to share our colorful day at my beloved Bower's Museum where we went for the Asian Family Festival.




Must I express again how much I love the Bowers Kidseum? Yes! The Kidseum is in a building a few doors down from the converted mission that is the main museum. Kidseum is where we go for the Dia del los Muertos celebration and the African Festival, which will be held next month, and a ton of other fun things. When there is no festival or special event, you can always go to the Kidseum to create an art project that corresponds with the featured exhibit displayed in the main museum. Right now there is a fantastic Egyptian Mummy exhibit so, hieroglyphic writing and reed art galore!

Here's a picture of one the many masks -- this one I think from Bali -- that line the walls:



Here's Mina taking full advantage of the Kidseum amenities such as the extensive tea party goods:


Maya making her Chinese Opera mask:


Slew of children's masks drying in the art room:


Other beautiful accents of the Kidseum; sombreros for dress up:

Kimono on display:


Mina in provided hat and clogs on a horseless saddle:


Taiko drum demonstration:


Showing off their masks:


I love the surrounding neighborhood of the museum which is old southern California, working-class latinos, mismatched sidewalks, porched small white craftman houses with 50-year old palms lining the streets. This part of Orange County reminds me of parts of L.A. I daydream of living over here every time we come to the Bowers:

7 comments:

kristen said...

I love, love, love the last photo of the girls. This is the Southern California of my childhood. The old style homes with palm trees and sunshine are so comforting to me! The Bowers museum sounds fabulous.

Rebel Girl said...

next time, we'll join you!

what sweeties you have! and how lucky they are to have you!

and yes, the street does seem like old LA...

Melinda said...

Fabulous photos - thanks for sharing them. And I'm digging Maya's camouflage pants.

Marigoldie said...

Maya and Mina are mad stylish.

Diz Rivera said...

Their style, that's all them. I let them have creative license with their wardrobe, and thankfully they never come out in daisy dukes. Mina did try to go to the museum with black eyeliner -- on her eyebrows. I was like, hmm, no way geisha girl.

Diz Rivera said...

Hi Jonathan, I suppose all museums inherently have issues, but if the Bowers is touted as an internationally cultural museum I suppose they can't only draw from surrounding sources. I think their recent partnerships have been brilliant and interesting -- and WE WANT TO BE DRAWN IN because if this museum goes away it will be more than a shame. The Queen Sheba exhibit was anti-climatic, but their Tibetan exhibit was intimate and outstanding. Their current mummy exhibit is a fantastic alternative to the LACMA's King Tut circus.

andrea said...

well, I simply cannot get enough of childrens museums. everywhere we travel, it's the first thing I look for... although this one seems special. will have to put it at the top of my list of things to do when we come out to LA (no planned trip as of yet but we'll make our way out there eventually).

and I am so making those paper plate masks with ava. too fun!