Kalamazoo Institute of Arts to host foreign film

By Nathan Norton

Western Herald

The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts will hold a free showing of the Chinese film “King of Masks” in two parts on March 9 and 16. 

The film centers on Sichuan Change Art, an Eastern art form based on the rapid changing of silken masks to shift the performer’s visage in a fraction of a second.

The movie takes place in 1930s China. Wang Bianlian, an elderly street performer, is coming to the end of his career as “King of Masks.” 

His ancient art form all but extinct, Wang longs to pass his artistic abilities down to a capable protégé before death takes him and his art along with it.

The customs of the old performer’s craft demand that he find a male heir. Having lost his only son years earlier, he buys an orphan from a slave trader.

The young child takes to the old artist immediately, crying “Grandpa!” and touching the old artist deeply. 

Nicknaming his new inheritor “Doggie,” Wang takes the young one in and the two form a bond as the elder begins to impart to the younger the secrets of his regal trade.

But the master mask changer is taken by surprise when his black market merchandise turns out to have a critical defect.

“It’s something very different, to see a movie like this,” said KIA Marketing Coordinator Ferrell Howe. “It’s not 3D, there aren’t a lot of special effects. It’s just a beautifully written, beautifully made film.”

Howe said that a primary focus of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts is to educate the community on art and culture. 

The KIA chose “King of Masks” to be screened not only teaches about 1930s Chinese society and the rarely seen Sichuan Change Art.

“We can all grow and learn from each other by looking at art from outside our culture,” Howe said.

Through events like this as well as a host of other offerings, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts has been promoting the appreciation of fine art in Southwest Michigan for more than 80 years. 

The institute is a hybrid of art museum, exhibit, and school.

KIA’s Kirk Newman School of Art has more than 3,000 students on an annual basis. 

Every year, the institute itself sees over 100,000 art-lovers coming to satisfy their creativity cravings. 

Patrons come to enjoy the 10-15 temporary exhibits, an ever-growing collection of about 4,000 permanent works, and to take part in a yearly average of over 300 events like the screening of the “King of Masks.”

Reviving art in the community is another important focus of the KIA, Howe said. 

By encouraging people to get involved in art in their own daily lives, Howe hopes to keep the art alive and well in Kalamazoo, Mich.

“Lots of schools are cutting back on creative programs like art,” she said. “Given that most of [the KIA] programs are free, they’re a great way to come and learn.”

The first part of “King of Masks” will be screened on March 9, with the second part being screened on March 16.  

Both screenings will take place at the KIA auditorium at 314 Park St. at 12:15 p.m.

Additional information on the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts programs and events may be found online at www.kiarts.org.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Mar 7 2010. Filed under A & E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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