POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – Arts Mid-Hudson Folk Arts Program, the Mid-Hudson Library Association, and the Mid-Hudson Japanese Community Association present Japanese Children’s Day on Saturday, May 9, 2015 from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm at the Sarah Hull Hallock Free Library (Milton, NY). During the program, children can learn about Japanese children’s culture through several interactive craft stations led by volunteers from the area Japanese community. The program is free and open to the public.
Among the featured activities at this hands-on program for children of all ages are making origami, writing calligraphy, and listening to and watching Kamishibai (Japanese paper theater or visual storytelling). Jumping frogs are a perennial favorite origami figure to make and play with. After making an origami jumping frog of their own, children can play the jumping frog game. Volunteers will be on hand to demonstrate how to write calligraphy with special brushes and ink. In between enjoying these and other Japanese children’s activities, visitors can relax to the beautiful sights and sounds of Kamishibai. A special delight of this afternoon program will be a display of traditional Japanese kids toys, including Kendama and Otedama.
Japanese traditionally commemorate Boy’s Day on May 5 and Girl’s Day on March 3. Both festive days celebrate the health and happiness of children, and are are
widely celebrated in Japan and among Japanese living in the United States. The May 9 Japanese Children’s Day program is the first in a series exploring how people from counties whose populations are represented in the Mid-Hudson Valley celebrate and honor their children. At each event, members of the respective cultural groups will engage children in interactive activities, including games and songs, stories, and paper crafts. This series is made possible in part thanks to funding from the Robert R. Chapman Fund of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley.
Children and adults are welcome to come and go at this family friendly, interactive event. The Sarah Hull Hallock Free Library is located at 56-58 Main Street in the hamlet of Milton. For directions, call the library at 845-795-2200.
The Arts Mid-Hudson Folk Arts Program researches and presents the arts and traditions that form our diverse communities’ cultural heritages. Through educational public programs, the Folk Arts Program interprets the traditions of ethnic, occupational, and religious groups in the Mid-Hudson region. The Program is open to suggestions about how to assist in celebrating your community’s heritage. The Mid-Hudson Japanese Community Association (MHJCA) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to introduce Japanese culture to the local community, to foster a sense of community among Japanese residents, and to be a bridge for cultural exchanges between Japanese and non-Japanese residents of the Hudson Valley. MHJCA educational presentations and language classes are aimed towards children and adults in the Hudson Valley area. The Association frequently collaborates with Arts Mid-Hudson to present interactive programs celebrating Japanese culture.
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The mission of Arts Mid-Hudson is to provide vision and leadership to support thriving and diverse arts in the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Arts Mid-Hudson was established in 1964 as the Dutchess County Arts Council, a private, nonprofit arts service organization to promote cultural activity and development in Dutchess County. Arts Mid-Hudson engages and promotes the arts across the Mid-Hudson region through four initiatives: Cultural Development and Arts Services, Resource Development and Grant Making, Advocacy and Public Awareness, and Folk Arts Programs, providing best practices in the arts to ensure that our region retains its artists and arts organizations. Through our art partners, a diverse offering of arts and cultural programs, many free, attract a range of age groups, and are produced across a broad geographic area.
For more information on Arts Mid-Hudson: www.artsmidhudson.org, visit AMH on Facebook or Tumblr, or call 845-454-3222.
