LONG ISLAND CHILDREN’S MUSEUM CELEBRATES CHINESE CULTURE WITH MERRICK RESIDENTS AT KING FESTIVAL

GARDEN CITY, NY [October 22, 2009] - The Long Island Children's Museum’s (LICM) Festival on October 17th and 18th celebrated LICM’s new Comings & Goings exhibit “Monkey King: A Story From China”. Over 2,000 people came to immerse themselves in Chinese culture and values during the weekend. Programs were offered to children and adults alike such as traditional Monkey King Opera style face painting and Chinese landscape fan painting with watercolor. Chinese Theatre Works (CTW) performed an adaptation of the Chinese folktale The Birth of Monkey King in the LICM Theatre using shadow puppetry and large screen overhead projector. As part of National Humanities Month, anthropologist Dr. Judith Burgess guided children in identifying their cultural values and collaborating on a post-it note wall graph about the complicated character of Monkey King. Children were asked to explore exhibit and determine whether they are either more naughty or more clever like Monkey. Visitors read storybooks written in different languages from the LICM World Language Collection about different folk tales with heroes like Monkey King.

The use of the overhead projector by CTW for The Birth of Monkey King is a unique variation of traditional Chinese shadow puppetry. The projector allowed LICM visitors to see the puppeteers as they manipulated the shadow puppets instead of being hidden behind a screen. Chinese Theatre Works is a non-profit theatre company directed by Kuang-Yu Fong. The company’s mission is to preserve and promote the traditional Chinese performing arts and create new works that bridge Eastern and Western aesthetics and forms.

More programming related to Chinese culture will be offered the weekend of November 21st and 22nd. On Saturday, November 21st from 1 – 3 p.m., visitors can participate in the “Spring Roll Surprise” workshop making and tasting their own vegetable spring rolls. This workshop is open for all ages and is free with LICM admission. A Chinese Calligraphy workshop will be offered Monday, December 28th at 2:30 p.m. Visitors ages 7 and up will learn six basic strokes and then create their own authentic Chinese scroll. The workshop is $3 with museum admission, $2 for LICM members.

Chinese Theater Works will be performing Peking Opera excerpts of Monkey King Sunday, November 22nd at 1:30 p.m. Visitors will experience this century-old art form as classically trained performers sing in original Chinese while wearing full stage makeup and costumes. That same day, at 3:30 p.m., CTW performers will demonstrate traditional Chinese opera face painting in the LICM Theater, explaining the ancient art form and showing how they prepare for the stage. CTW will perform again on Monday, December 28th, at 1 and 3 p.m. Monkey King Across America is an adaptation of the Monkey King story created exclusively for LICM by CTW. This version of Monkey King has a Western twist and uses the ancient Chinese technique of hands and glove puppets. Both events are for ages 3 and up and are $4 with LICM admission, $3 for members, and $8 for the theater alone.

“Monkey King: A Story from China” will be in the LICM Comings & Goings gallery until January 2nd, 2010. The theme of the Monkey King exhibition is to emphasize core Chinese cultural values reflected in the story of Monkey King. Among these values are the beliefs in the importance of the family and community, every person can contribute to their community and maintaining one’s commitment to responsibilities despite obstacles.

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Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) invites visitors of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to explore freely, discover their passions, and appreciate the communities and world we share. Through interdisciplinary activities, children and adults can share in the excitement of the learning process. The museum is designed for infants through 12 and their grown-ups. LICM is a private, not-for-profit institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents.

Photo Captions:

Queens Resident Grace Davis and family visited the Long Island Children's Museum for the Monkey King Festival, celebrating LICM’s new Comings & Goings exhibit “Monkey King: A Story From China”. Grace had her face painted in traditional Monkey King Opera style and designed her own Chinese landscape fan painting with watercolor.

The use of the overhead projector by Chinese Theater Works for The Birth of Monkey King is a unique variation of traditional Chinese shadow puppetry. The projector allowed LICM visitors to see the puppeteers as they manipulated the shadow puppets instead of being hidden behind a screen.