The Art of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is the most important holiday and festival in China. It celebrates the start of the Lunar New Year with food, colorful lanterns and other decorations, fireworks, and a variety of festivities. A wide variety of arts have blossomed in conjunction with these traditions. “The Art of Chinese New Year” is a vibrant, interactive experience where visitors of all ages can explore the Chinese New Year holiday and the traditional visual and performing arts related to it. The installation captures the sights and sounds of the holiday through art, decorations, and video displays, leading visitors to a deeper experience, and a greater understanding, of traditional Chinese culture. In the visual arts, visitors will learn about nianhua (New Year pictures), spring couplets, and papercutting. A showcase on the art of shadow puppetry will feature antique puppets, a traditional shadow puppet theater, and a theater where children can create their own puppet shows. At a lion dance display, visitors can try on real lion dance costumes. Stay tuned for more information on weekend workshops, where visitors can learn the art of papercutting and design their own shadow puppets! Thursday, January 23 – Saturday, February 29 2020 Monday – Friday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM Thursday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM Saturday: 11:00AM – 5:00PM Closed on Sundays and major holidays FREE