“Celebrating Family” is the theme of this month’s JANM Free Family Day on Saturday, June 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum, 100 N. Central Ave. in Little Tokyo.
In conjunction with the Mixed Remixed Festival (www.mixedremixed.org), JANM presents a day of activities that explore the meaning of family.
All-day activities:
– Construct a mobile to show what each member of your family means to you.
– Create a family out of finger puppets.
– Make a Father’s Day card at Ruthie’s Origami Corner.
– Use the Instax camera to snap instant photos of yourself with your family or friends. Take these home, or use them in the 3 p.m. Family Scrapbooking Workshop!
– Let off some steam inside the always-popular bounce house.
Scheduled activities:
11 a.m.–3 p.m.: Names often hold fun or important family stories. Let one of the artists make a souvenir artwork out of your family name or given name, which you can then take home.
11:30 a.m.: In collaboration with the Mixed Remixed Festival, JANM hosts author Maria Leonard Olsen, who will read from her book “Mommy, Why’s Your Skin So Brown?” The book was written for her biracial children as a response to people’s confusion over her skin being darker than theirs.
1 p.m.: In collaboration with the Mixed Remixed Festival, JANM hosts author Katrina Goldsaito, who will read from “The Sound of Silence,” her forthcoming book about a child’s experiences with the many sounds that can be heard in the bustling city of Tokyo.
2:15 p.m.: Luce Puppet Co. presents “The Wizard of Oz,” the classic story about a girl who finds herself in a faraway land and then comes home to learn the real meaning of family.
3 p.m.: It’s time to get going on that scrapbook of family memories. Bring your own family photographs or mementos and JANM staff and volunteers will help you decorate a starter page.
Sponsored by the Nissan Foundation.
For more information, call (213) 625-0414 or visit www.janm.org.