Explore the Joy of AAPI Culture
Celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage
Pasadena is your gateway to one of the biggest hubs of Asian Pacific American culture - the San Gabriel Valley. AAPI heritage is celebrated here all year long, with frequent reminders of the delicious, beautiful, and enriching contributions that these communities have made to our city and beyond.
Storrier Sterns Japanese Garden
The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden was created by Kinzuchi Fujii between 1935 – 1940 for Charles and Ellamae Storrier Stearns. It is also the only intact example of a major Japanese-style garden created before World War II for a residence in Southern California. A variety of events are curated monthly, including sound baths, evening access, tea ceremonies and more.
Japanese Garden at The Huntington
The Japanese Garden is one of the oldest gardens at The Huntington, started over a century ago. Stroll through the koi-filled ponds, the moon bridge built by Japanese craftsman Toichiro Kawai, the impressive bonsai collection, the Zen garden, the Japanese House built in Japan around 1904, and ceremonial tea house that was built in Kyoto and donated to The Huntington.
Chinese Garden at The Huntington
Liu Fang Yuan 流芳園 is one of the finest classical-style Chinese gardens outside of China. Designed through an international collaboration with designers and artisans in Suzhou and American construction workers, this garden is filled with plants of literary or cultural significance. Enjoy soloist musicians in the garden every Wednesday.
Japanese Garden at Descanso Gardens
Enjoy the stroll garden, the stream-and-pond garden, the tea garden, and the raked-gravel garden (karesansui), often called (incorrectly) a Zen garden. Designed by Eijiro Nunokawa, the garden's teahouse was operated by Japanese American restauranteurs who commissioned architect Kenneth Masao Nishimoto to build a giftshop that emulates a Japanese farmhouse.
The Huntington
Restore + Explore: Tai Chi Classes
May 4 & 11, 2024
No experience is necessary to join this two-class series guided by Kathy Chyan. In the Chinese Garden, explore the beauty and tranquility of the Clear and Transcendent Pavilion while restoring your emotional and physical well-being with traditional Chinese stretches.
Storrier Sterns Japanese Garden
Pasadena Festival of Tea
May 5, 2024
The three-session festival will feature local tea vendors representing Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and contemporary fermented and herbal tea traditions. Guests will receive a custom-made tasting cup at check-in, and the tea specialists will offer samplings of their teas, along with expert knowledge and advice. Additional experiences available with limited seats, including tea service, demonstrations, and more.
Norton Simon Museum
Stories in the Afternoon
May 5, 2024
Designed for children ages 4 - 8, join a museum educator to learn the joy of celebrating one's heritage and culture from the story, I Am Golden, written by Eva Chen and illustrated by Sophie Diao. After the story take time to examine an Asian American sculpture by Isamu Noguchi and create artwork that celebrates your own unique identity.
USC Pacific Asia Museum
Workshop@PAM: Ikebana
May 11, 2024
Discover the art of Ikebana through the creation of elegant floral arrangements led by master of Ikebana Sangetsu Style, Valeria Brinkers. Class includes admission to the museum galleries and free parking. Space is limited. Sign up now!
The Huntington
Music in the Chinese Garden
Wednesday afternoons
A different solo musician performs each week, playing unamplified melodies on classical instruments including the dizi 笛子, pipa 琵琶, and erhu二胡. Let the music transport you to another time and place as you stroll through one of the most magical landscapes in Southern California. Generous support for this music series is provided by the Justin Vajna Memorial Fund for Educational Programs in the Chinese Garden.
USC Pacific Asia Museum
Celebrate USC PAM's New Mural
May 18, 2024
From 1pm - 5pm, join USC PAM for a vibrant celebration of their new mural, A Momentous Moment in Time of Passage and Landing, created by artist Dave Young Kim. Enjoy cultural dances, crafts, food trucks, and an insightful artist talk. Free admission to the museum is included.
Norton Simon Museum
Goddesses of South Asia
May 19, 2024
Space open on a first come, first served basis. Sign up at the Information Desk to engage in a conversation with a museum educator of the divine feminine and depictions of goddesses in the museum's permanent collection.
Norton Simon Museum
South Asian Paintings and Sculptures
Permanent Collection
The Norton Simon Museum houses a world-renowned collection of art from South and Southeast Asia that includes examples of the rich sculptural and painting traditions that developed in this region over the course of more than 2,000 years.
The Huntington
Chinese Garden Open House
May 22, 2024
Learn about some of the most important plants used in Chinese Medicine for the past 2,00 years. Two informal tours will take place to celebrate the new Chinese Medicinal Garden in the Chinese Garden. Free with general admission into The Huntington.
USC Pacific Asia Museum
Crossroads: Exploring the Silk Road
Current Exhibition
Throughout the AAPI Month, visitors can enter for free with the generous support of Wescom Credit Union. Take a journey through Dunhuang, an ancient oasis connecting people and cultures. The gallery explores the ancient trade routes along the Silk Road with an interactive discovery map, an intergenerational reading area, music, tactile objects, and highlights from the museum's collection.
The Huntington
Asian Art
Permanent Collection
At The Huntington, the Asian art collections are heterogenous. Recently, acquisitions are more related to the East Asian garden arts, paintings, literature, music, theater, tea culture, and stone appreciation. A highlight from the collection is a Mounted Double-Gourd Vase that produced in 14th-century China as a serving jug.
The Huntington
Paintings in Print: Studying Art in China
Now - May 27, 2024
"Paintings in Print" focuses on two painting manuals: The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting and the Ten Bamboo Studio Collection of Calligraphy and Painting. Both books are complemented with paintings to be examples of the innovative painting techniques, history, and appreciation in early modern China.
Read with Pasadena Public Library: Asia & the Pacific Islands
Pasadena Libraries
All month long you can join Pasadena Public Library for a story map tour of library literature celebrating the voices, experiences, and contributions of authors of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage.
Craft AAPI Paper Dolls
Pasadena Libraries
May 3 - 31, 2024 | 10 am
Learn about various Asian and Pacific Islander cultures as you color and decorate paper dolls. No registration required. While supplies last, kits can be picked up at Santa Catalina, Jefferson, and Hastings branches.
Chinese Tea Brewing and Tasting: Gong Fu Style
Jackie Robinson Community Center
May 24, 2024 | 1-3 pm
Calling all tea lovers! Participants will taste four Gong Fu style brewed teas, including leaves from the Ancient Tea Tree in the Yunnan Province in southwestern China. Presentations on the history, brewing techniques, and benefits of tea will be provided by Wendy Chen and Nathan Epstein, owners of the Callisto Tea House. Open on first, first served basis to the first 50 attendants.