Feb 4th Sat from 11am~4pm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
On Saturday, February 4, usher in good fortune and celebrate the Year of the Dragon—the most auspicious animal of the Chinese Zodiac—with performances, interactive gallery activities, and art-making workshops for all ages.
All programs, including performances in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, are free with Museum admission. The cafeteria will be celebrating Lunar New Year with a traditional Chinese menu including soy sauce chicken, pork buns, and Napa cabbage with garlic and ginger. All visitors are welcome.
Performances
11:00–11:30 a.m., Sesame Street Puppeteers Featuring Alan Muraoka
Carson Family Hall, Uris Center for Education (Show location on map)
Discover the traditions of Lunar New Year with Sesame Street puppeteers and actor Alan Muraoka. Take your picture with Alan and the Sesame Street characters after the performance!
12:00–12:40 p.m., Chinese-American Planning Council—P.S. 124 Lion Dance Parade
Diane W. Burke Hall, Uris Center for Education (Show location on map)
Follow this colorful parade as it twists and turns through the Museum. Begins in Diane W. Burke Hall and moves through the Fifth Avenue plaza, Great Hall, Grand Staircase, and Great Hall Balcony.
12:30–1:00 p.m., Storytelling in American Sign Language and English
Gallery 223 (Show location on map)
In American Sign Language, with voice interpretation
Enjoy performances of stories inspired by Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon.
12:45–1:00 p.m., New York Chinese Cultural Center Dancers
Gallery 206 (Show location on map)
See traditional Chinese fan dance and ribbon dancing.
1:00–1:15 p.m., The Music from China Youth Orchestra
Gallery 206 (Show location on map)
Hear students perform a colorful sample of regional folk and ethnic music with traditional Chinese instruments.
1:15–1:30 p.m., New York Chinese Cultural Center Dancers
Gallery 206 (Show location on map)
See traditional Chinese fan dance and ribbon dancing.
1:30–1:45 p.m., The Music from China Youth Orchestra
Gallery 206 (Show location on map)
Hear students perform a colorful sample of regional folk and ethnic music with traditional Chinese instruments.
1:30–2:00 p.m., Storytelling in American Sign Language and English
Gallery 208 (Show location on map)
In American Sign Language, with voice interpretation
Enjoy performances of stories inspired by Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon.
2:00–3:45 p.m., Celebrate Lunar New Year!
The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium (Show location on map)
Enjoy dance and music performances by the Chinese Center on Long Island Lion Troupe, New York Chinese Cultural Center Dancers, The Music from China Youth Orchestra, and the Donghwa Cultural Foundation.
2:30–3:00 p.m., Storytelling in American Sign Language and English
Gallery 208 (Show location on map)
In American Sign Language with voice interpretation
Enjoy performances of stories inspired by Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon.
Art Activities
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., Design a Dragon
Great Hall Balcony (Show location on map)
Create fanciful scales for a giant, collectively made dragon.
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Chinese Zodiac and Dragon Hunt
Gallery 233 (Show location on map)
Are you a dog? A rat? A dragon? Find your sign, then hunt for dragons in the Asian Art galleries!
12:00–4:00 p.m., Lantern-Making with the Museum of Chinese in America
The Astor Court (Show location on map)
Light up the New Year with your own folded paper lanterns in a beautiful courtyard constructed with traditional tools and techniques.
12:00–4:00 p.m., Chinese Calligraphy Demonstration with the Museum of Chinese in America
Gallery 209 (Show location on map)
Watch calligrapher MingMei Yip create Chinese characters with traditional brush and ink.
1:00–4:00 p.m., Drop-in Poetry and Drawing
Galleries for Chinese Painting and Calligraphy (Show location on map)
Make drawings inspired by poetry like twentieth-century Chinese artist Fu Baoshi. Instruction repeats every thirty minutes; materials provided.
3:30–4:00 p.m., Take Your Picture with the Dragon
Gallery 206 (Show location on map)
Flash a smile as professional photographers take a keepsake picture of you with the giant dragon you helped create.