Events for Jun. 2023

Join us for Japanese mask making demonstrations with noh mask maker Terai Ichiyu on June 1-4 in the Atrium.  A translator will be on hand to facilitate conversation with Mr. Terai. 

Terai-san likens mask making to "time travel" explaining that when he creates a character, he feels connected to the generations of mask-makers who have crafted the same character before him. In creating a powerful mask sucha as a hannya, Terai senses her energy, enabling him to help the mask express its complex set of emotions: ferocious rage, fear and sadness.

Join us for a gallery talk with artist John Paul Granillo in the newly opened exhibition, Between the Lines: Prison Art and Advocacy l A Community Conversation. Instrumental in the development of this exhibition, John Paul will explore and expand on its themes while sharing his personal story.

 Acompañanos a la plática de galería con el artista John Paul Granillo en la exposición recién inaugurada, Entre líneas: arte carcelario y abogacía: Una conversación comunitaria. Instrumental en el desarrollo de esta exposición, John Paul explorará y ampliará sobre los temas de la exposición mientras comparte su historia personal.

Join us for this 90 minute program including an explanation and a video of Awa Ningyo Joruri,  a demonstration and hands-ons experience of how to operate the large puppets, and the performance of "Keisei Awa no Naruto, The Scene of the Pilgrim’s Song"

The same program will be presented on Saturday June 24, and repeated again on Sunday June 25.

Puppeteers from  Tokushima , Japan will lead a one hour workshop on Japanese Ningyo Joruri puppet production.  Learn about the elaborate puppets used in Ningyo Joruri perfromances and assemble a puppet head made with a 3D printer.  The workshop is limited to 10 participants and will include:

• Overview of Awa Ningyo Joruri: 5 minutes
• Production demonstration and commentary by the puppeteer: 15 minutes
• Kiyohime’s head assembly experience: 40 minutes

To register for the FREE workshop email: leslie.fagre@state.nm.us and include your name, email, and which date you wish to attend: June 24 from 4-5 pm, or June 25 from 11am – 12 pm.  The puppet heads in the workshop will remain with the puppeteers (participants will not receive a puppet head to take home.)

Join us for art in the atrium on Sundays with art projects, coloring sheets, and self-guided treasure hunts. Add to your explorations at MOIFA with fun collection-inspired bilingual art kits, facilitated by our fantastic MOIFA docents. Our projects are always changing with changing gallery treasure hunts for the whole family.  

Dates & Themes:

May 7 - Animals in Folk Art!

May 25 - Animals in Folk Art!

June 11 - Uchiwa, Japanese Hand Fans!

June 25 - Uchiwa, Japanese Hand Fans!

The program time is from 10 am - 4 pm, and the program is free with museum admission. Museum admission is always free for Kids and Members, program is included with admission.

Join us for this 90 minute program including an explanation and a video of Awa Ningyo Joruri,  a demonstration and hands-ons experience of how to operate the large puppets, and the performance of "Keisei Awa no Naruto, The Scene of the Pilgrim’s Song"

Ningyo / Narutoza Puppet Theater

Narutoza Puppet Theater was formed in 1980, when its founding director Kobayashi Shunsei, his family, and six other friends joined together to create the troupe, occasioned by the receipt of two puppet heads that had been carved by the master Oe Minosuke IV, a native of Naruto City who had created most of the puppet heads that were used by the Osaka Bunraku Puppet Theater after their puppets and equipment had been destroyed during the War. The two puppets that Narutoza received were Oyumi and Otsuru, the mother and daughter characters in the play Keisei Awa no Naruto. Starting with performances at local schools in Naruto, the troupe collaborated with children’s organizations to produce pieces that were performed at the Otsuka Art Museum. They also performed at the grand opening of the outdoor stage at the Bart Garden theme park and at Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture, among others, always seeking to convey the charm of traditional Awa puppetry to audiences within and without Tokushima Prefecture. Currently, puppeteers ranging in age from their 30s through their 70s perform with Naruto Puppet Theater under the leadership of the third director, Murakami Kyoko.