The Society is proud of its four decades of accomplishment. Since its establishment, the Society has created over 500 quality programs and events that included exhibitions, art shows, performing arts events, lectures, slide shows, discussion panels and demonstrations, excursions and special tours.
2011-2013
Exhibition: Year of the Water Dragon:
Dragons & Dragon Boats
January 5 - February 29
Tuesdays - Sundays
10am-4:30pm
Location: Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Vancouver
578 Carrall Street
The dragon image remains a recognizable symbol, popularized by cultures across the globe and through the centuries. Its symbolic meaning shifts over time and place. In the East it is often revered as a symbol of fertility and good fortune; in the West, it often represents humankind's primeval nature which must be subdued by bravery and discipline in order to gain a chosen treasure. Regardless of where and when the dragon form appears, it has always been characterized by a quality of immense power, it has captured our imagination as it challenges us to find its hidden meanings.
This exhibition celebrates dragons and dragon boating throughout the world and heralds the year 2012, which is, in the Chinese Zodiac, also the Year of the Dragon. The exhibit presents dragons in their myriad forms: in shapes traditional and contemporary, as respected icons and simple toys. The dragon's manifestations are truly without number. Many of these artefacts have travelled to exhibitions accross Canada, US and Asia.
Part of Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Legacy Collection, exhibited at festivals over the years with the assitance from the Canadian Society for Asian Arts.
"Celebrating Luxury: Still Life in Surimono" by Dr. John Carpenter
November 3, 5:30 pm
Location: Asian Centre Auditorium, 1871 West Mall, Vancouver at UBC, Point Grey Campus
Admission is free.
Asia & Pacific Folk Masks exhibition
Presented by the Canadian Society for Asian Art
Carter-Harmon Collection
September 28 - November 6 | 10am - 4:30pm Daily
Exhibit Reception: Thursday, October 13 | 2-4pm
Location: Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden
578 Carrall Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 5K2 Canada
Entrance Included in Admission
FREE for Garden Members
The folk masks from Asia & Pacific Rim regions were collected mostly from shops, street stalls and maker's studios. A diverse range of masks, some dating from the late 1800s were collected during visits to the Americas, Northern and Southern Asia, Oceania from the 1960s onward.
The emergence of Asia & Pacific Rim cultures and economies in recent decades have had a dramatic impact on the society of British Columbia and the rest of Canada. The exhibition will, hopefully, contribute to better communication with and understanding among our Asia & Pacific neighbours.
Masks selected for the exhibtioin reflect a wealth of form, symbols, materials, dimensions and creative inventiveness. Included are masks that were paraded in street festivals and others used in religious processions. Some were used in traditional storytelling theatre and dance, often celebrating the seasons, harvests, and others special occasions. Certain masks reflect social and political realities, often taking on the role of social moderator or representatives of order and justice.
The exhibition provides a glimpse of the unlimited expression and beauty of Asia & Pacific masks and may contribute to the continuation of the traditional and the creation of new ones.