Special
The Invisible Becomes Visible: A Talk with Muralist Edythe Boone @THPSouth
Edythe (Edy) Boone born 1938, is an African-American artist and activist. She has worked as a muralist, counselor, and art teacher throughout her life in an under-served area in California. Boone is well known for the many murals she has painted. She started with her painted murals on each floor of a building in Harlem, New York and her work has expanded through the years to one of her most notable projects, designing and painting the Women's Building mural in San Francisco, California.
Decoding Chinese Opera Part Three: Hello My Concubine
Decoding Chinese Opera: Hello, My Concubine
Chinese opera draws on history, legend, and romance for its stories. The famous play Farewell, My Concubine combines all three and has inspired other art for two thousand years.
Decoding Chinese Opera: Appreciating Beauty
Decoding Chinese Opera Part Two : Appreciating Beauty
Classical Chinese drama, or opera, can be challenging for the uninitiated. This standalone companion to Part 1 looks at what makes Chinese theater mei (beautiful). We’ll see how the characteristic charms of opera relate to Disney animation, drag, and Las Vegas-style stage magic. We’ll conclude by watching comic and musical excerpts from the masterpiece Peony Pavilion.
Asheba Caribbean Music for Kids @ North Branch
Asheba is a musical storyteller specializing in Calypso, the musical and folkloric oral tradition of Trinidad, Asheba's homeland. Hope and happiness are the focus of his songs which range from original children's music to classic children's tunes with a Caribbean twist!
Sponsored by the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library
Peace Day Commemoration / Sadako and the Thousand Cranes
Join us for a Peace Day Commemoration on the lawn of North Branch Library. Listen to beautiful koto music by Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto, learn how to fold an origami crane, and hear about the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who lived through the bombing of Hiroshima, but died years later from the effects of the atomic bomb. She was made famous for folding 1,000 origami cranes in the hopes that her wish to survive would be granted.
Ages 8 and up and families are welcome.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library
Habitot Mobile Museum Pop Up @North
Decoding Chinese Opera: Why So Shrill?
Classical Chinese drama, or opera, can be a challenge for the uninitiated. Many Western and Chinese audiences want to like it but then get lost in the clashing gongs and cymbals.
This talk breaks down the visual cues of staging, costumes, music, and rap that make this vibrant art form a UNESCO-recognized Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage.
Wildflowers and Pollinators with Naturalist Jenna @San Pablo Park
Music & Movement (registration required)
We hope you will join us for our first in-person children’s programs since 2020! Our story time band will lead two 30 minutes sessions: one for children ages 2-5 and the other for kindergarteners and 1st graders.
Registration for both sessions begins at 12:00pm on Friday, May 20th. To register, follow the link below to the session of your choice.