Celebrate the Year of the Fire Monkey by bringing the whole family out to explore Chinese art and culture! Enjoy artist demonstrations and performances, including a Lion Dance and Galapagos Puppets’ rendition of the adventures of the Monkey King. Learn about traditional Chinese arts by creating your own Peking opera mask, a dragon puppet, a decorative scroll, and a New Year lantern. Get moving with a red ribbon dance instrument, and don’t forget to get your face painted before heading over to our “selfie” setup for a photo-op!
ChinaFest! Event Schedule
Feb 13, 2016 | 11 am–3 pm
PERFORMANCES
The Pride: Lion Dance at UVA performs Lion Dance
Leslie Cheek Theater, Level L | 11:30–11:45 am and 2:15–2:30 pm
Performers collaborate inside a lion costume to mimic the movements and characteristics of the animal to the sounds of vigorous drumming.
Yu Dance Arts performs Colorful China
Leslie Cheek Theater, Level L | 11:50 am–12:05 pm and 2:35–2:50 pm
Immediately following Lion Dance performance
Yu Dance Arts is a Richmond-based youth dance group directed by Yu Xiao that creates and produces intercultural performances combining traditional Chinese dances with modern Western aesthetics.
Galapagos Puppets performs Monkey King Meets the Banana Princess
Reynolds Lecture Hall, Level LL | 12:15–1:05 pm and 2–2:50 pm
DEMONSTRATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS
Ongoing
Chinese Knot Tying and Monkey Masks presented by George Mason University, Confucius Institute | Conference Room 1, Level L
Chinese Calligraphy presented by College of William and Mary, Confucius Institute | Atrium, Level 1
Visit the VMFA East Asian Art Galleries | Level 2
ACTIVITIES
Ongoing
Red Ribbon Dance Instrument | Marble Hall, Level 2
Get moving with a red ribbon dance instrument!
Peking Opera Mask | Marble Hall, Level 2
Design your own Peking Opera mask
Lion Puppet | WestRock Art Education Center, Level 1
Make a lion puppet inspired by the traditional Chinese Lion Dance
Lantern Making | Atrium, Level 1
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with a hand-crafted decoupage lantern
Scrolls | WestRock Art Education Center, Level 1
Create and paint a Chinese scroll
Zodiac Animal Face Painting | Marble Hall, Level 2
Get your face painted with your favorite Chinese zodiac animal
Play and Construct! | Marble Hall, Level 2
Use oversize tangram shapes to create patterns and designs, and construct the Great Wall of China using cardboard building blocks. Experiment with Chinese instruments including erhu, guqin, and yunlou. Mengxia Zhang will demonstrate the pipa, and John Xu will demonstrate the erhu.
Community Dragon Puppet | Atrium, Level 1
Help decorate a large dragon puppet, and watch it parade through the Atrium at 2:45
Selfie Setup | Atrium, Level 1
Step into a Chinese watercolor and strike a pose with some of your art activities
FILMS
Chinese Animated Children’s Films | WestRock Art Education Center, Level 1
Lon Po Po (English) | 11–11:30 am
Snow Kid (English subtitles) | 11:35–11:55 am
Three Monks (no dialogue) | noon–12:20 pm
Feelings from Mountain and Water (English subtitles) | 12:25–12:45 pm
Tadpoles Looking for the Mother (English subtitles) | 12:50–1:10 pm
The Little Nightingale (English) | 1:25–1:55 pm
The Cowboy’s Flute (English subtitles) | 2–2:25 pm
A Deer of Nine Colors (English subtitles) | 2:30–3 pm
SAY CHEESE! Photographers and videographers are on duty at museum events to capture images for VMFA’s archives and publications. If you prefer not to have video or pictures taken of yourself or your family members, please notify the staff at the Welcome Table as soon as possible. You will be provided with a red sticker indicating that you and your family should not be photographed or recorded.
ChinaFest! Year of the Fire Monkey Family Event is generously sponsored by WestRock
and the Rose Group for Cross-Cultural Understanding 
SAVE THE DATE! Join us June 11, 2016, 11 am–3 pm for Celebrate the Art of Africa and African American Art: Culture King