[tiny L_TAMstacked_rgb.jpg] MEDIA RELEASE July 8, 2015 Media Contact: Julianna Verboort, 253-272-4258 x3011 or JVerboort@TacomaArtMuseum.org<mailto:JVerboort@TacomaArtMuseum.org> [cid:image003.jpg@01D0B99C.ED4B34B0] American Matsuri Free Community Festival at TAM Tacoma, WA - "Matsuri" is Japanese for "festival." Join Tacoma Art Museum<http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/> for this free all-day event celebrating Japanese American multiculturalism in art! Feel the dramatic beats of Taiko drumming, groove to DJ Mike Thielk's international soundscapes, sip Japanese tea, make origami, see the international award winning documentary "The Cats of Mirikitani,"<http://www.thecatsofmirikitani.com/index.htm> explore the exhibition Roger Shimomura: An American Knockoff<http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/exhibit/shimomura/details/>, and hear from Shimomura in person during an artist talk. TAM partnered with the Asia Pacific Cultural Center<http://www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org/> to add Japanese art activities and tea customs to the event. American Matsuri Free Community Festival is Sunday, July 19, from 10 am - 4 pm at TAM. "This festival invites visitors to experience both contemporary Japanese American culture and longstanding Japanese traditions," says Samantha Kelly, TAM's Director of Education. "I encourage people to come and listen to artist Roger Shimomura share personal stories about being Japanese American and how his experiences influence his artistic practice. It is a rare treat to engage in this level of conversation with an artist of Shimomura's caliber." Highlights of American Matsuri<http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/event/american-matsuri-free-community-festival/> include: * Contemporary Soundscapes: DJ Mike Thielk will play during the festival. Thielk is Japanese American and half of the Seattle-based hip hop duo, SendaiERA<https://soundcloud.com/sendai-era>. The group's name reflects their international focus; Thielk lived in the Japanese city of Sendai during college, producing under the name Sendai Mike, and ERA are the initials for the duo's other half, Filipino American Enrico Abadesco. * Origami, 10:00 am - 3:30 pm: Nori Kimura<https://www.linkedin.com/pub/nori-kimura/4b/394/584> will facilitate. Kimura is a Tacoma-based Japanese American artist and educator. TAM regulars may have recently seen his creation of hole #9 for Pop-Up Art Putt! (an outdoor artist designed mini golf course organized by TAM and the City of Tacoma) coinciding with the US Open golf championship. Kimura specializes in illustration and design, infusing Japanese aesthetics into his creations. * Tea Tasting: Masaye Nakagawa<https://www.linkedin.com/pub/masaye-okano-sosei-nakagawa/19/50a/b02> and Asia Pacific Cultural Center will offer tea tastings and teach about Japanese tea ceremonies. Nakagawa has done Japanese cultural demonstrations for museums and other venues in our region including Yukoan Tearoom in Seattle. * Taiko Performances, 10:30 am and 12:00 pm: Seattle's School of Taiko<http://www.japantaiko.com/> will host two Taiko drumming and flute performances. The School of Taiko has presented throughout the Puget Sound region, led by renowned teachers who have toured internationally. * "The Cats of Mirikitani"<http://www.thecatsofmirikitani.com/> Documentary Film Screening, 1:00 pm: Summary: Eighty-year-old Jimmy Mirikitani survived the trauma of WWII internment camps, Hiroshima, and homelessness by creating art. But when 9/11 threatens his life on the New York City streets and a local filmmaker brings him to her home, the two embark on a journey to confront Jimmy's painful past. An intimate exploration of the lingering wounds of war and the healing powers of friendship and art, this documentary has won multiple awards including the Audience Award at its premiere in the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, Audience Award at Filmfest DC, and Best Picture award at the Tokyo International Film Festival Japanese Eyes category, among others. Film is 74 minutes long. Seattle's Wing Luke Museum <http://www.wingluke.org/> held the first solo exhibition of Mirikitani's art in 2006; the exhibition traveled through the Northwest. In 2010, his work was on view in the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, and has since been on view across the U.S. and in Japan. * Artist Talk with Roger Shimomura, 3:00 pm: Join Roger Shimomura as shares about his paintings in the exhibition An American Knockoff<http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/exhibit/shimomura/details/>, his experiences as a Japanese American (including his family's internment at Minidoka), and his inspirations and perspectives as an artist. * Food Truck: BeanFish<http://beanfish.net/> food truck - Seattle's only mobile Teriyaki artisans - will serve traditional matsuri fair including fish-shaped waffles stuffed with everything from bacon to s'mores fixings! For more information visit the event page at TAM's website<http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/event/american-matsuri-free-community-festival/>, or call the museum at 253-272-4258. American Matsuri Free Community Festival<http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/event/american-matsuri-free-community-festival/> is brought to the community by TAM in partnership with the Asian Pacific Cultural Center, and generously supported by the Tacoma Arts Commission with seasonal support provided by ArtsFund. Image Credit: Performers from School of TAIKO, Seattle, WA; photo (c) Dzung Nguyen. ### About Tacoma Art Museum Celebrating 80 years, Tacoma Art Museum has become an anchor in the city's downtown and a gathering space for connecting people through art. TAM's collection contains more than 4,500 works, with an emphasis on the art and artists of the Northwest and broader American west. The collection includes the world's largest retrospective museum collection of glass art by Tacoma native Dale Chihuly on continued view; the world's largest collection of jewelry by Northwest artists; key holdings in 19th century European and 20th century American art; and one of the finest collections of Japanese woodblock prints on the West Coast. TAM recently welcomed a gift of 295 works of Western American art in the Haub Family Collection, one of the premier collections in the nation and the first major western American art museum collection in the Northwest. HOURS - Tuesdays-Sundays 10 am-5 pm ADMISSION - Adult $14; Student (6-17), Military, Senior (65+) $12; Family $35 (2 adults and up to 4 children under 18). Children 5 and under free. Third Thursdays free from 5-8 pm. Members always free. CONTACT - 253-272-4258, http://www.TacomaArtMuseum.org