MFA Rings in the Year of the Horse with Lunar New Year Celebration

Free Open House on February 8 Includes Art Making, Family Activities, Music, Dance and Film

BOSTON, MA—Lunar New Year is celebrated by millions across Asia and around the world as the start of a new calendar year. On Saturday, February 8, 2014, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), joins the festivities with free admission and events to celebrate the holiday, which is based on the cycles of the moon. From 10 am to 4:45 pm, the Museum marks the upcoming Year of the Horse with activities ranging from lantern making to a Lion Dance parade to a demonstration of the Korean New Year Saebae ceremony. Offering insight into the unique customs and traditions of China, Korea and Viet Nam, guests have the opportunity to try their hand at print making, the Korean poetic form sijo and Gong-Fu—a form of Chinese martial arts. Special events include a book signing by Boston chef Joanne Chang and a screening of Last Train Home (2009)—a film about the journey of China’s 130 million migrant workers each year for the Lunar New Year holiday. For a look at the Museum’s world-renowned collection of Asian art, 30-minute gallery tours of the MFA’s masterpieces are offered throughout the day. For more information on the MFA’s Lunar New Year celebrations, visit /lunar. Generously supported by the Mabel Louise Riley Foundation.

Programming for Lunar New Year at the MFA is coordinated in partnership with the Korean Cultural Society of Boston and Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC), whose students created the Year of the Horse Mural in the Druker Family Pavilion. Special performances include a concert by Korean Fusion Project Band—a group led by students from the Berklee College of Music, and a parade and performance from Gund Kwok—the only Asian women’s Lion Dance troupe in New England. ASL interpretations of Story Hour, Art of Asia Gallery Tours and a talk with David McCann, Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Literature at Harvard University, are available for visitors who are Deaf or hard of hearing.

Schedule of Lunar New Year Activities

All activities are free and open to the public

Special Events

Year of the Horse Mural
10 am–4:45 pm, Druker Family Pavilion
This work of art was created by children from the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, an MFA Community Arts Initiative program partner.
The Community Arts Initiative is generously supported by the Linde Family Foundation.

Story Hour
10:30–11:30 am, Gallery 285
ASL Interpreted
Visitors age 4 and under enjoy stories about Lunar New Year celebrations around the world.

Performance: Korean Fusion Project Band presents “New Year, New Light”
11 am, Remis Auditorium
Assembled especially for the Museum’s first Lunar New Year Celebration, this musical group features piano, guitar, Korean percussion, drums, bass and vocals.

Lion Dance
2:30 pm parade, Shapiro Family Courtyard and Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art
3 pm performance, Remis Auditorium (space is limited—first come, first served)
A festive Chinese Lion Dance parade is followed by a performance by Gund Kwok, the only Asian women’s Lion Dance troupe in New England.

Book Signing: Joanne Chang
2:30–3:30 pm, Bookstore and Shop in the Druker Family Pavilion
Boston chef and restaurateur Joanne Chang (owner of Flour bakery and Myers + Chang restaurant) signs her two cookbooks, Flour and Flour Too, which are on sale at the MFA bookstore.

Film: Last Train Home (2009, 87 min.)
3 pm, Alfond Auditorium (space is limited—first come, first served)
Each spring, China’s cities are plunged into chaos as 130 million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the New Year’s holiday. Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Lixin Fan’s Last Train Home follows a couple’s annual trek—an epic spectacle that reveals a country tragically caught between its rural past and industrial future. In Mandarin and Sichuan dialect with English subtitles.

Demonstrations

Saebae
11 am–Noon and 1:30–2:30 pm, Edward H. Linde Gallery
A demonstration of the traditional Korean Saebae ceremony––where children bow in respect to their elders––which is practiced during New Year celebrations.

Gong-Fu
12:30 pm and 2 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard
An interactive demonstration of Gong-Fu—a form of Chinese martial arts.

Family Art-Making Activities

Printmaking
10 am–4 pm, Druker Family Pavilion
Many Chinese families prepare for the New Year by hanging woodblock prints, called nianhua, on their doorways, which are thought to bring good luck. Visitors can make their own print, inspired by images from the MFA’s collection.

Bok Jumoni
10 am–4 pm, Edward H. Linde Gallery
It is a New Year tradition for Korean children to bow in respect to their elders in a ceremony called Saebae. They are then given money to put in small bags called bok jumoni—which Museum visitors can make to hold their special tokens and keepsakes.

Lanterns
10 am–4 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard
The Lantern Festival marks the end of Lunar New Year in both China and Vietnam. Children can make their own lantern in the Museum’s Shapiro Family Courtyard throughout the day.

Family Art Cart
10 am–4 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard
Children ages 4 and up can enjoy fun and educational activities in the Shapiro Family Courtyard with an adult.
Family Art Cart is made possible with endowment support from the Germeshausen Foundation Fund for Youth and Family Learning, and the John and Dorothy Wilson Fund. Additional support for self-guiding materials provided by The Lowell Institute.

Tours and Talks

Gallery Tours: Art of Asia
10:30, 11, and 11:30 am; 1, 1:30, 2, and 2:30 pm, Sharf Visitor Center
Noon and 3 pm tour in Vietnamese
ASL Interpretation at 1:30 and 2 pm
A 30-minute tour featuring masterpieces from the Museum’s Asian art collections.

Talk: Professor David McCann
11:30 am, ASL Interpreted, Riley Seminar Room
A talk about the Korean poetic form sijo, with David McCann, Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Literature at Harvard University. He introduces examples of sijo, translations and comparisons to Chinese poetry. After the talk, guests can try writing sijo for themselves.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is recognized for the quality and scope of its encyclopedic collection, which includes an estimated 450,000 objects. The Museum’s collection is made up of: Art of the Americas; Art of Europe; Contemporary Art; Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa; Art of the Ancient World; Prints, Drawings, and Photographs; Textile and Fashion Arts; and Musical Instruments. Open seven days a week, the MFA’s hours are Saturday through Tuesday, 10 am–4:45 pm; and Wednesday through Friday, 10 am–9:45 pm Admission (which includes one repeat visit within 10 days) is $25 for adults and $23 for seniors and students age 18 and older, and includes entry to all galleries and special exhibitions. Admission is free for University Members and youths age 17 and younger on weekdays after 3 pm, weekends, and Boston Public Schools holidays; otherwise $10. Wednesday nights after 4 pm admission is by voluntary contribution (suggested donation $25). MFA Members are always admitted for free. The Museum’s mobile MFA Guide is available at ticket desks and the Sharf Visitor Center for $5, members; $6, non-members; and $4, youths. The Museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Patriots’ Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For more information, visit or call 617.267.9300. The MFA is located on the Avenue of the Arts at 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.

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