Print by Henry Sugimoto

If you live in Sonoma County, and you’ve got an interest in Japanese art and music, April is your month. Both Petaluma and Santa Rosa offer some intriguing looks at this fascinating culture.

“A Culture Within: The Japanese American Experience Through Art,” opened April 7 and runs through May 28 at the Petaluma Arts Center, 230 Lakeville St., Petaluma.

The exhibit features work by artist  Henry Sugimoto, 1900-1990,  who was sent to an U.S. internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II.

The show includes about 30 woodblock prints he made portraying life in a relocation camp, as well as paintings from the rest of his long career.

The exhibit also includes work by Chiura Obata, Kay Sekimachi, Narry Nakamoto, Daid Kuraoka, Wendy Yoshimura, Chiyomi Teneike Longo and Pamina Traylor.

The center is open noon to 4 p.m. daily except Tuesdays and Wednesdays. A series of workshops on Japanese art techniques will be presented during the show.

Information: (707) 762-5600, www.petaluma.org.

And in Santa Rosa,  the Matsuri Japanese Arts Festival returns, running 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 28, in Juilliard Park and the A Street arts district next to it.  The free festival includes performances by San Francisco’s Theatre of Yugen, as well as art exhibits.

The festivities open the night before with “The Sound of Bamboo,” a concert by shakuhachi bamboo flute master Riley Lee, with guest flutist Elliot Kallen, 7-9 p.m. Friday, April 27 at the Church of One Tree in Juilliard Park. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Information: (707) 575-8626.

 

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