Lenora Lee: de Young Artist Fellow

Apr 18, 2013

Photograph of person dancing in low light

Lenora Lee. Photography courtesy of Cody T. Williams.

SAN FRANCISCO (April 18, 2013)—During the month of May, the de Young Museum will showcase the work-in-progress of multi-disciplinary dance artist Lenora Lee as part of the museum’s Artist Fellows Program. A San Francisco native who is deeply rooted in the Asian American communities of San Francisco and New York City, Lee will reveal her process of creating narrative, interdisciplinary dance pieces that give voice to the experiences of Asian Americans.

About Lenora Lee
For the past 15 years, Lee has worked as a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. She brings diverse training to her performances, with a BA in dance from UCLA, experience as a Japanese taiko drumming performer with the celebrated San Francisco ensemble Genryu Arts; knowledge of karate from Enshin Karate, South San Francisco Dojo; and training in Chinese forms with Kei Lun Martial Arts. She has also pursued private study in dance composition, contact improvisation, Afro-Brazilian dance, modern dance, and ballet, among other disciplines.

About the Project
The Escape and Rescued Memories: New York Stories are companion dance and multimedia pieces inspired by the stories of Chinese women immigrants to the United States in the early 20th century. The pieces feature media design by Olivia Ting; music by Francis Wong, text by poet Genny Lim; lighting by Patty-Ann Farrell; and videography directed by Tatsu Aoki and filmed by Ben Estabrook, Eric Koziol, and Heath Orchard. Shedding light on the social history of Chinese in America, the 20th-century women’s movement, and the refuge that Chinatown’s Cameron House provided, Lee’s work additionally addresses issues including child labor and human trafficking.

Visitors are invited to view Lee’s works-in-progress in the Kimball Education Gallery Wednesdays‒Sundays, 1‒5 pm and Fridays until 8:45 pm. Lee’s work will also be showcased in a series of related events in May and two world premiere performances in November, and will be celebrated during a public artist’s reception Friday, May 31 from 6‒8:45 pm in the Kimball Education Gallery.

The Escape and Rescued Memories: New York Stories are presented by the de Young Museum with collaborating partners Asian Improv aRts, the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum, and the Donaldina Cameron House.

Related Programs
Friday, May 10, 2013, 6 pm
Kimball Education Gallery
Open rehearsal and panel discussion of The Escape with representatives from Cameron House, Asian Women’s Shelter, and Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach

Saturday, May 11, 2013, 1‒5 pm
Kimball Education Gallery
Activities based on Angel Island Immigration Station experiences, and poetry with Chinese Historical Society of America

Friday, May 17, 2013, 7 pm
Koret Auditorium
Live performance by composer Francis Wong, Miyoshi Sketches, and Lenora Lee Dance, excerpt from The Escape

Friday, May 31, 2013, 6 pm
Kimball Education Gallery
Artist reception and lion dance by Kei Lun Martial Arts

Friday, November 8, 2013, 7 pm
Koret Auditorium and various areas, de Young Museum
Live world premiere performance by Lenora Lee Dance with Kei Lun Martial Arts and Enshin Karate, South San Francisco Dojo, The Escape and Rescued Memories: New York Stories

Saturday, November 9, 2013, 7 pm
Koret Auditorium and various areas, de Young Museum
Live world premiere performance by Lenora Lee Dance with Kei Lun Martial Arts and Enshin Karate, South San Francisco Dojo, The Escape and Rescued Memories: New York Stories

Visiting \ de Young
Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118

Museum Hours
Tuesdays–Sundays 9:30am–5:15pm, last ticket 4:30 pm. Fridays (March 29–November 29) 9:30am–8:45pm, last ticket 8 pm. Closed Mondays.

General Admission
$10 adults, $7 seniors (age 65 and over), $6 youths (age 13‒17) and college students with ID, FREE members and children 12 and under, FREE general admission the first Tuesday of each month.

Additional fees apply for special exhibitions.
Tickets can be purchased on site and online. Tickets purchased online include a $1 handling charge.

Group ticket reservations available by emailing groupsales@famsf.org.

About the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in San Francisco.

The de Young is housed in a copper-clad landmark building designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. It showcases the institution’s significant collections of American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts from the 17th to the 21st centuries; art from Oceania, Africa, and the Americas; a diverse collection of costumes and textiles; and international contemporary art.

The Legion of Honor’s Beaux-Arts style building designed by George Applegarth is located on a bluff overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Its collections span 4,000 years and include European paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts; ancient art from the Mediterranean basin; and the largest collection of works on paper in the American West.