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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and it’s a great time to engage with Eastern cultures in Dutchess County. From bonsai workshops and kintsugi sessions to Japanese-inspired gardens and Asian art, here are a few ways to discover something new in the heart of the Hudson Valley.
EVENTS
Tuesday, May 7 at 8 p.m. at Badavon 1869 Opera House, Poughkeepsie
Norah Jones brings her incredible vocal prowess to the Queen City this May. Enjoy a pre-show cocktail party at Keepsake at The Academy just a 5 minute walk from the theater. Then, settle in for one of the 21st Century's most prominent jazz vocalists in a historic venue. For tickets, click here.
Wednesday, May 8 at 6 p.m. at FDR Presidential Library and Museum
Visit the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum for a free poetry event. "Taste of Home - South Asian Poets" celebrates Asian creatives and features authors Pramila Venkateswaran and Zilka Joseph. For more information, click here.
Saturday, May 11 at 7 p.m. at Fisher Center at Bard College, Annandale on Hudson
Chinese-born conductor Tan Dun is a world-renowned talent. Notably, he won Academy Award and Grammy awards for his score for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He leads the Bard Conservatory Orchestra for a special performance of both original works and reditions of Stravinsky and Passacaglia. Promoting the event, he said “I have two goals in my heart: I don’t just want to establish a musical idea…I want to develop a cross-cultural idea that brings nature and classical music, ancient and modern, together." For tickets, click here. Don't forget to get our FREE Inspiration Finder mobile passport: sign up for 20% off Fisher Center tickets!
Tuesday, May 14 at 6 p.m. at River Valley Arts Center, Wappingers Falls
The ancient practice of Kintsugi teaches us to embrace flaws and imperfections. This Japanese tradition highlights the beauty of blemishes by breaking pottery bowls, studying the pieces and glueing them back together with gold. The bowls change forever, just as people change and become stronger through difficult personal experiences. River Valley Arts Center invities art therapist Tara DeLuca to lead a unique kintsugi workshop. Visit Wappingers Falls and reflect on the Kintsugi experience, connecting with a pot of your own before breaking and rebuilding it. To register, click here.
Thursday, May 23 and Friday, August 9 at 6 p.m. at Millbrook Vineyards and Winery, Millbrook
Thursday, June 6, August 8, October 10, December 12 at 6 p.m. at Industrial Arts Brewing Company, Beacon
Learn the Japanese art of bonsai at a variety of Dutchess County destinations. Bonsai Bar brings the East Asian gardening tradition to beginners. At these workshops, grab a Hudson Valley beer and start making miniature trees. Fundamental techniques will help you pot, prune, and design organic works of art. Start with the dwarf jade for a manageable tree for first-timers at craft beverage hotspots like Industrial Arts Brewing Company in Beacon and Millbrook Vineyards and Winery in Millbrook. For full dates, click here.
Wednesday, May 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Heritage Financial Park, Wappingers Falls
Enjoy a night of Hudson Valley Renegades baseball honoring the region's diverse Asian-American heritage. The Renegades team does an excellent job of immersing the crowd in each night's special promotion through music, video components, food, games and more. For tickets, click here.
Sunday, June 2 at 4 p.m. at Stissing Center for Arts & Culture, Pine Plains
The Stissing Center at Pine Plains regularly hosts a diverse assortment of artistic performances, from renowned jazz groups to contemporary arts. Seoul-Mate is a showcase for award-winning South Korean choreographers Bo Kyung Lee, Jin A Kim and Younghoon Oh. Kim's sensual solo dance kicks off the night, followed by energetic quartets and unique costumed performances. Get tickets here.
DESTINATIONS
Discover blooming Japanese primroses, peonies and yellow foxgloves in this stunning Eastern Dutchess garden. Golden light dramatically floods the Chinese and Japanese-inspired gardens and landscape. Enjoy meditative cup gardens (drawn specifically from ancient Chinese villa gardens) around the 40-acre glacial lake. Bring a picnic for an amazing afternoon snack. Or, create art by brining an easel or a camera, drawing inspiration from the curated landscape. Rock formations, lily pads and native wildlife provide peace to visitors. Be sure to bring birding binoculars to spy heron and other beautiful birds.
This state-of-the-art brewery and tasting room in Hyde Park produces a Junmai Daiginjo-only sake, the highest level of premium sake and the first of its kind made in the U.S. Sake is a traditional alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice, popularized in Japan. Dassai is made from 100% Yamada Nishiki rice, the gold standard of sake rice. Observe the brewing process through windows looking into various production rooms during the tour and tasting experience and sample Dassai Blue 50, the first sake brewed on-site. The opening of this beautiful site makes Dutchess County the only county in New York State that has a sake brewery, wineries, breweries, cideries, distilleries and a meadery.
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