tag:flavorpill.com,2005:/losangeles/venues/skirball-cultural-center 2012-05-26T00:00:00-07:00 tag:flavorpill.com,2005:EventListing/66713 2012-05-26T17:00:00Z 2012-05-26T17:00:00Z Installation Today Come watch vivid moments from the everyday lives of ordinary families and see how Jewish home movies enrich California's multicultural story. An immersive gallery installation that projects Jewish “homegrown movies” on three giant screens, Jewish Homegrown History uses home movies to explore the dynamic interplay between personal memories and collective history. The vibrant films document diverse immigration trajectories and the identity issues they raise. They emphasize the complex negotiation of rival allegiances to new locations and homelands left behind, and also the complex relations Jews forged with other ethnic communities within California. Unlike most other cultural histories of Jews, which begin in the East with Ellis Island, this exhibition focuses on the Jewish experience in the West, a reversal that enriches our understanding of the broader history of Jews in America. Conceived and created by The Labyrinth Project, an art collective and research initiative on interactive narrative at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, the exhibition offers the opportunity to interact with Labyrinth's online multimedia archive specially compiled for the exhibition. Learn how you can add your own family stories and images to this expanding homegrown history and become engaged in preserving the cultural heritages of our families and our communities. tag:flavorpill.com,2005:EventListing/71732 2012-05-26T17:00:00Z 2012-05-26T17:00:00Z Installation Today Since the 1920s, mah jongg has ignited the popular imagination with its beautiful tiles, mythical origins, and spirit of camaraderie. Come learn the history and meanings of what has become an American Jewish tradition across the generations—from grandmothers to hipsters, from baby boomers to bohemians. Organized by the Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York City, Project Mah Jongg highlights cross-cultural relationships between American Jews and Chinese Americans and explores the influence of mah jongg on cultural identity, fashion, and style. The game is a true cultural hybrid: its ancient roots are in China; it captivated American audiences in the 1920s; and it became integral to the social life and philanthropy of American Jewish women beginning in the 1930s. On view are twentieth-century objects, including mah jongg sets, tiles, rule books, newspaper clippings, and vintage photography, as well as mah jongg–inspired contemporary works by Isaac Mizrahi, Bruce McCall, and Maira Kalman. Game tables across the Skirball campus encourage visitors to play a game of mah jongg and take part in a continuing tradition. tag:flavorpill.com,2005:EventListing/71735 2012-05-31T21:00:00Z 2012-05-31T21:00:00Z Discussion Thursday 5/31 Listen in as Mike Stoller, one-half of the legendary songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller, discusses his colorful life and celebrated career. Over the course of a sixty-one year partnership, Leiber and Stoller created enduring classics in a variety of genres including rhythm & blues, pop, country, jazz, cabaret, and most notably, rock and roll. Their many hits include “Hound Dog” (Elvis Presley) and “Is That All There Is?” (Peggy Lee) while their 1995 Broadway production, Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, was nominated for seven Tony Awards and still holds the record as the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history. Stoller will be interviewed by Steve Barri, composer, lyricist, and music industry executive who signed Steely Dan, Jimmy Buffet, and Three Dog Night. A book signing of Stoller’s new book, Hound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography, follows the program.