A Thousand Cranes—Celebrating 30 years of CATS

January 15 – March 28

Opening Reception January 19, 4:30 – 6:00pm

The Eric Rood Administrative Center, 950 Maidu Ave, Nevada City

 

Nevada County Arts Council and Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District invites the community to attend the Opening Reception for A Thousand Cranes—Celebrating 30 years of Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra at the Eric Rood Center. This important retrospective is the official launch of Art in Public Spaces, a new collaboration between Nevada County Arts Council and the County of Nevada and kicks off celebrations for the Lunar New Year.

“To showcase the role that Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra (CATS) has played in the community has always been a dream of mine. I have ‘envisioned’ a museum-like display for quite a while!  Thank you to the Nevada County Arts Council and the County of Nevada for making my dream come true.  We hope the public will enjoy the efforts of so many, who have made this dream a reality.” Says Jeannie Wood, Executive Director of CATS.

The Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra has been promoting diversity in the arts through theater, events and education since 1994. Its mission is educational and artistic, and CATS has enriched the Sierra Nevada’s cultural climate with works on Asian-based themes. Its shows have garnered many Elly nominations, awards and accolades by SARTA (Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance) as well as locally over the years. For thirty years CATS has offered a unique glimpse into Asian culture through the dramatic arts, providing education for people of all ages and, most importantly, lending agency to the Asian-American voice.

This exhibition will include show banners, props, photos, and posters from their extensive collection of memorabilia, along with an interactive Origami Crane folding station. CATS has partnered with the Nevada County Landmarks Commission to provide historical context and showcase sites throughout the GVNC Cultural District important to telling the Asian-American stories in our community.

Says Eliza Tudor, Executive Director at Nevada County Arts Council: “During the Gold Rush Nevada County was home to thousands of Chinese who played a pivotal role in the history and prosperity of America through the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. As we prepare to mark the 30th Anniversary of CATS, Art in Public Spaces offers us a perfect platform, as well as other partnership opportunities, such as with Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission, who have provided invaluable input and context. Thanks to CATS and to the Commission, we enjoy a deeper understanding of our community’s own Asian-American heritage from the Gold Rush onwards, and to its ongoing contributions to this place we call home.”

The Opening Reception marks the beginning of a series of celebrations as CATS prepares its 10th annual Chinese Lunar New Year Festival in collaboration with the Miners Foundry. After a three-year hiatus the Nevada City Chinese Lunar New Year Festival and Parade returns to celebrate the Year of the Dragon on Sunday, February 25 from 12:30-4:30pm. This year the parade Grand Marshal will be Eliza Tudor, Executive Director of the Nevada County Arts Council, joined by board members and staff.

Art in Public Spaces is about providing a thoughtful curation of arts and culture brought into those civic spaces that belong to us all. Through expressing community values, heightening our awareness, and helping us question our assumptions, the arts serve to bring us together. It acknowledges our California Cultural Districts and the communities that live in our diverse landscapes.

The program has been championed by District 1 Supervisor, Heidi Hall. Says Hall: “The arts are central to Nevada County’s identity, culture, and economy. This partnership gives us the opportunity to showcase the incredible creators in our community while inviting new audiences into public buildings.”

Exhibitions are curated by the Nevada County Arts Council, a nonprofit organization designated by the Nevada County Board of Supervisors as the County’s state-local partner with the California Arts Council.

“We’re so grateful to the Nevada County Arts Council for bringing their expertise and art community connections to this project,” said Hall. “I’m excited to see work from a wide variety of local artists in upcoming shows.”