5 Things To Do Today: China chat, "Kukai," Oscar shorts, Flint Culp and more ...

By Volcano Staff on February 19, 2013

TUESDAY, FEB. 19 2013 >>>

1. The Academy Awards 2013 nominees for Documentary Shorts continue to screen at The Grand Cinema. You can view the five nominated shorts - King's Point, Mondays at Racine, Inocente, RedemptionandOpen Heart - at 2:15 and 6:50 p.m.

2. There is an excellent art exhibit in the gallery at The Evergreen State College from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is called An Abstract - Representational Continuum and it juxtaposes abstract art with slightly surrealistic photographs culled from the college's art collection. Included are works by well-known West Coast artists and a few nationally-recognized artists. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "An Abstract - Representational Continuum" in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

3. The latest show at the University of Puget Sound's Kittredge Gallery is a fascinating installation that may prove difficult to describe. It is called "Kukai," and it is a collaborative project between digital media artist Robert Campbell and ceramic sculptor Yuki Nakamura, who previously worked together for an installation called "Floating Plaster/City Motion," a multimedia installation comprising video, audio, and cast sculptures for the New Works Laboratory, a program between 911 Media Arts Center and the Henry Art Gallery at University of Washington in Seattle. The current installation is all about light and sound - mostly light. Check it out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "Kukai" in the Weekly Volcano Arts section.

4. Since China began flooding U.S. markets with illegally subsidized products in 2001, more than 50,000 American factories have disappeared, more than 25 million Americans can't find a decent job, and America now owes more than 3 trillion dollars to the world's largest totalitarian nation. But, what do we really know about China?  Tacoma's Fuzhou Sister City Committee selected the book Spring Moon: A Novel of China by Bette Bao Lord as a book to illuminate about China's different customs and people. Drop by King's Books at 7 p.m. to discuss the book and, well, China in general. By the way, this discussion is in conjunction with the upcoming Sister City International Film Festival taking place at Blue Mouse Theatre. Fuzhou's night is Feb. 28 with the film Last Train Home about China's country-wide migrations of people going home for their Chinese New Year celebrations.

5. Flint Culp, Mythologies and The Clacid Arkansas will rock Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia around 10 p.m.

LINK: Tuesday, Feb. 19 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area