Please join us, pick up some skills, and have loads of fun at one (or all) of these. Registration links are above through Eventbrite.  See you there!

Aiko Designs will be at the Potrero Hill Festival this year!

The organizers have had an outstanding response this year and more than 100 vendors are scheduled to attend.

When: Saturday, October 15, 2011 from 11am-4:30pm

Where: 20th Street between Arkansas and Missouri Streets in the scenic Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.

The main stage will feature live performances by Pure Ecstasy, Soul Delights, the Third Thursday Band and more! The youth stage will feature a talent show, dance party and other youth-oriented entertainment. This year, we’ve expanded our kid zone which will feature a petting zoo, pony rides, multiple bounc houses, face painting, and lots of arts and crafts!

Kaiseki Workshop

with Kimika Soko Takechi & Larry Sokyo Tiscornia
Saturday, August 27, 2011 ~ 12:00-2:30 p.m.
At the JCCCNC – Issei Memorial Hall
1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco (between Buchanan and Webster) (map)

For more information or to register, please call the JCCCNC at (415) 567-5505
or e-mail programsevents@jcccnc.org.
Cost: $30 members / $35 non-members
Workshop limited to the first 20 paid and registered participants.

Kaiseki ryori, seasonal Japanese cuisine served during the traditional Chanoyu (tea ceremony) gathering, has its roots in the simple seasonal vegetarian cuisine served in the Zen temple.

Kaiseki cuisine uses fresh seasonal ingredients, simple seasonings and cooking techniques to create dishes that are beautiful to look at, tasty and in harmony with the season. Strictly vegetarian in earlier times, kaiseki cooking has changed with modern tastes and customs and now often includes seafood, poultry and meat in its many dishes.

This late summer kaiseki workshop will feature 4 courses including: edamame gohan (green soybean rice), chilled poached chicken with a bainiku (pickled plum) sauce, sakana no kuzutataki (fresh fish lightly dusted with kuzu [kudzu starch] and then poached) and fresh cooked octopus with crisp celery and cucumber in a sunomono dressing. Dashi soup stock will also be made using konbu (kelp) and katsuobushi (shaved dried bonito). The class will be mostly demonstration, with some hands-on arranging, and participants will be able to sample the dishes that are prepared. Easy to follow recipes will be provided. Participants should bring an apron.

Kimika Soko Takechi and Larry Sokyo Tiscornia are instructors of the traditional Japanese art of Chanoyu, the tea ceremony. They teach Chanoyu and its many related arts in San Francisco and travel to many places sharing their knowledge with others through lectures and demonstrations. They received their professional tea names in 1985 from Sen Soshitsu XV, then the head tea master of the Urasenke School of Tea, in Kyoto, Japan and both received the Junkyoju, associate professor, degree in 1994. The name Soko translates to “fragrance” and Sokyo to “bridge.”

Kimika is from Iyo City, in Shikoku, Japan, and came to the U.S. in 1976 to study English at Holy Names College and the University of San Francisco. She worked as an artist in traditional kimono design in Kyoto and has been studying and teaching tea for 40 years. She is also an accomplished artist specializing in watercolors.

Larry, a San Francisco native, attended both City College of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Larry began his tea study in 1976 and trained for 6 years at the Urasenke School headquarters in Kyoto from 1979 to 1985. He graduated from both the international and professional Japanese divisions of the school and returned to S.F. in 1985 as an instructor at the Urasenke Foundation of S.F. Since 1988 he and Kimika have been teaching Chanoyu privately in San Francisco and share the joy of tea with many.

Oakland Art Murmur’s first annual Murmurama, a multi-venue celebration including art exhibitions, artist talks, live music, food, wine tasting, special performances and more is happening this Saturday evening in Oakland between 23rd and 26th Streets and Telegraph Ave. & Broadway from 7-10pm.

Participating galleries of Murmurama include 25th Street Collective, Buzz Gallery, Chandra Cerrito Contemporary, Hatch Gallery, Johansson Projects, Krowswork, Mercury 20 Gallery, PHOTO, Studio Quercus and Vessel Gallery.

Aiko Designs will be participating at the 25th Street Collective – hope to see you there!

See more information on the Murmurama Facebook event page.

]]> http://www.aikojewelry.com/blog/2011/05/art-murmurama-in-oakland-may-21-7-10pm/feed/ 0 http://www.aikojewelry.com/blog/2011/04/bay-area-artists-for-japan-apr-28-30/ http://www.aikojewelry.com/blog/2011/04/bay-area-artists-for-japan-apr-28-30/#comments Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:43:15 +0000 Christine http://www.aikojewelry.com/blog/?p=793

Bay Area artist communities unite to help Japan

Bay Area Artists for Japan is a relief effort to aid victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. They are sponsoring a benefit from April 28 to 30, 2011, where folks can buy artwork generously donated by Bay Area artists. 100% of the proceeds will be donated directly to the Japan Red Cross Society.

During times of tragedy, we believe that one of the roles of the art community is to use our art to help those who are suffering. Our community relief effort relief will be a small but significant contribution to those communities in Japan which have been devastated by this disaster.

Opening Reception: April 28 (Thu), 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Gallery Hours: April 29 (Fri) 30 (Sat), 11:00AM – 5:00PM

Location: Mina Dresden Gallery, 312 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 (Google Map)

(the space was donated by Ms. Dresden for the event)

Participating Artists:
Glenna Allee, Tor Archer, Christine Aiko Beck, Lisa Blatt, Val Britton, Donna Brookman, Paz de la Calzada, Colette Cambell-Jones, Johanna Case-Hofmeister, Kevin Chen, Randy Colosky, Linda Connor, Binh Danh, Lauren Davies, Lauren Dicciocio, Robert Donald, Jessica Dunne, Stirling Elmendorf, Takehito Etani, David Fought, Jack Fulton, Terry Furry, Xia Gao, Mariana Garibay, Jim Goldberg, Mayumi Hamanaka, Jeffrey Hantman, Ed Hardy, Taro Hattori, Taraneh Hemami, Edith Hillinger, Suzanne Husky, Randy Hussong, Misako Inaoka, Cynthia Ona Innis, Packard Jennings, Hiroyo Kaneko, Takashi Kawashima, David Kwan, Ellen Lake, Samantha Lautman, Seth Lower, Yuki Maruyama, Chris McCaw, Sarah McMenimen, Masako Miki, Shannon Milar, Karla Milosevich, Richard Misrach, Apollonia Morrill, Matt Mullins, Richard Nagler, Gary Nakamoto, Abner Nolan, Jenna North, Sandra Ono, Guy Overfelt, Mary Parisi, David Patchen, Laura Paulini, Nora Pauwels, Mitzi Pederson, Silvia Poloto, Genevieve Quick, Jose de los Reyes, Meghan Riepenhoff, Favianna Rodriguez, Yasu Sakamoto, Christina Seely, Asako Shimazaki, Josh Smith, Heather Sparks, Youngsuk Suh, Hadi Tabatabai, Seiko Tachibana, Luther Thie, Naomi Vanderkindren, Marina Vendrell, Tina Vietmeire, Andrea Voinot, Catherine Wagner, Lis Walsh, Sylvia Solochek Walters, Lanford Weingrod, James Welling, Noah Wilson, Kathrine Worel, Nina Zurier and more.

For details about Japan Red Cross Society, please refer their website at: http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/
and their Emergency Relief for Japan Earthquake and Tsunami at: http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Samin Nosrat, a Bay Area chef is organizing this incredible event to raise funds for the recovery from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  The following information comes from the site Bakesale for Japan:

Where: At locations across the country!

When: Saturday, April 2nd from 10am-2pm

Who: Professional and amateur bakers, cooks, artists, artisans, and musicians coming together around food to make something BIG happen.

How: Want to help? We’ll need bakers, artists, volunteers, and lots and lots of customers. Please send offers of help to bakesaleforjapan@gmail.com

Why: So we can donate BIG BUCKS to Peace Winds Japan and help our brothers and sisters over there in the best way we can. Stay tuned for details.

We will be folding 1,000 paper cranes to send to friends in Japan. Do you have origami paper to donate? Can you teach others how to fold cranes on the day of the sale? If so, send Samin an email.

Our long list of accomplished collaborators includes folks from:

• Pizzaiolo
• BiRite Market & Creamery
• Gioia Pizzeria
• A16 & SPQR
• Chez Panisse
• Peko-Peko
• ClaireSquares
• Tartine Bakery
• Summer Kitchen Bakeshop
• Starter Bakery
• Bakers Dozen
• Viola
• Blossom Bluff Orchards
• Tell Tale Preserve Company
• Four Barrel Coffee
• Blue Bottle Coffee
• Mr. Espresso
• Oxbow Public Market
• June Taylor Company
• Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe
• Bar Jules

The Marin Store Holiday Sample Sale will take place Saturday, November 6th, from 9 AM – 4 PM at the Marin Country Mart (formerly Larkspur Landing) at 2405 Larkspur Landing Circle (map). Customers can save big on items by local designers of clothing, jewelry, shoes, kids, home and more, with plenty of affordable holiday entertaining and gift options.  There will also be a farmer’s market to add to the festivities.  Aiko Designs will be there…hope you can make it!

The line up of cocktails and food is fantastic and there will also be a special silent auction of donated items & services from local artists and businesses (including jewelry from Aiko Designs!).

Buy your tickets now!

October 8-10 :: San Francisco Open Studios in the Mission District of SF.  Please stop by to say hello and see what’s new! My studio is located at 744 Alabama St., studio 302 (3rd floor).  Opening night party from 7-11pm on Friday. Hours on Sat-Sun are 11am-6pm. (map)

Hope to see you there!