You're Invited To Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery Year Of The Rabbit Chinese New Year Celebration Sunday January 15 - Also, Moments In Time Watercolors Exhibition By Ana Maria Daranga Opening Reception Saturday January 14 At RIVAA's Octagon Gallery

According to the Roosevelt Island RIVAA Gallery: 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Come to RIVAA Gallery (527 Main Street) on January 15,2023 at 1 PM to celebrate Chinese New Year with us. The Blanc Art Space is sponsoring events around the Year of the Rabbit. Workshops for kids will be part of this afternoon of celebration. We look forward to seeing you.

So please join us

For the celebration of the 2023 Chinese New Year, TheBLANC Art Space will be co-hosting a series of festive events with the RIVAA gallery on January 15, 2023. TheBLANC Art Space is committed to the important work of fostering culture exchange and contributing to the richness of the New York art world. The time of the Chinese New Year, unlike other events that take place on a definitive date, varies according to the traditional lunar calendar. It traditionally takes place from New Year’s Eve, the evening preceding the first day of the year to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. Marking the coming of spring, the 2023 festival will usher in the Year of the Rabbit––the fourth cycle of the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese New Year event would present both the chance to generate a sense of belonging and community, and to demonstrate the importance of multicultural expressions of Asian and Asian-American identity through art.

The celebration events will be on January 15th, 2023. And here are some of the highlights that will be on stage at Roosevelt Island: 

Photo booth: We will be displaying backdrops depicting New Year’s scenarios for participants to take photos with. Our staff will wear costumes of rabbits or other symbolic characters for attendees to take photos with.

Draw red envelopes: In China, elders will give red envelopes with “lucky notes” inside to children with the hope of passing on a year of good fortune and blessings. The red color symbolizes good luck and prosperity in Chinese culture. We will be preparing red envelopes, with random straws for different gifts wrapped inside, for attendees to draw lotteries. And attendees will win the chance for entry by leaving their New Year’s wishes with us.

Gift-giving: We will bring postcards, rabbit dolls and spring couplets for participants to take home during the red envelopes lottery session.

Lantern making: The rabbit lanterns draw inspiration from Chinese legend, and also as a celebration of the Year of the Rabbit. The craft will be easy to make, and all materials will be provided.

Interactive activities: We will provide puppets and toys for lion-dancing that children can play with and take photos with.

Showcase of Chinese traditional clothing: Chinese traditional clothing has a long history and humanistic value, which reflects the changes and development of artistic and cultural aesthetics. We specially design a clothing display section for the event and make the audience experience the fun of Chinese traditional culture.

Here's a video with more on the Year Of The Rabbit Chinese Lunar New Year

6sqft has info on 2023 Chinese New Year events in New York City which begins January 22 thru February 5.

Also,  RIVAA Gallery: 

Cordially invites you to the opening of “ Moments in Time” a One person show of Watercolors by Ana Maria Daranga for the Opening Reception at the Octagon Gallery on Saturday January 14, from 5-7 pm.

One Person Show “ Moments in Time” Watercolors by Ana Maria Daranga

Saturday, January 14 - Saturday April 1, 2023

Opening Reception: Saturday January 14, 2023 5-7 pm

Octagon Gallery 888 Main St. New York, NY 10044

UPDATE 1/20:

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