Year of the Water Dragon
The Chinese say that the Year of the Dragon brings
prosperity. If the SBMA Nights party is any indication – they are correct.
This was by far one of my most favorite Nights
experiences. Each room was filled with wonderment. Upon entering the museum you
had your choice of three rooms: a red room leading to fortune, a dark room
filled with enchantment, and a bright room encompassing enlightenment, and
along the way you could enjoy wonderful art exhibits.
It was amazingly well organized and wonderfully
surprising.
The RED ROOM had a station where one could make Zodiac
Masks. I elected to journey past the crafts and into the back room. Here you
entered The Department of Fortunes, where disgruntled desk jockeys circa 1960
typed out a “request for fortune” form (elaborating on your answers by the
way…), which you took to an even further back room and inserted your form into
a slot, then waited for your fortune to pop out in a tube through a hole in the
wall. It was quite an unexpected experience. And I learned that I “can learn
from others… “ Nice.
The DARK ROOM held enchantment in the form of Regret/Release/Past/Present
Interactive Performances. First there was a dragon that came out and dance
among the partygoers. Then, there was an artist that painted portraits as
quickly as one would sign one’s name. Later, there was a lovely lady that danced
in the light of the pale moonlight. Even
later, this room turned into a dance party. Delightful.
The BRIGHT ROOM held the “Way-to-the-Way”, where
paper panels hung on the wall and on one side of the room you could try your
hand at ink paintings, and on the other side of the room you could create
poetry. Enlightening.
All in all, this was an amazing night filled with
a variety of delights from Asia. Lovely. Just lovely!