Fusion Fridays

I’m a big fan of events like Jazz Night at Fernbank, GA Aquarium, and my big favorite Culture Clash at the High Museum so I was definitely in for Fusion Night. I saw it on the L.A. East Elite page so I signed up (Thanks, CM Katie B. for the tickets). The theme for that night was Korean Culture. Drinks were sponsored by Angel City Brewery. Food was available but there was only one food truck there — Dosa Truck. I ordered food from Dosa and took it inside and ate the courtyard.
The entertainment for the evening was Korean drumming, Samurai swordfight reenactment and a DJ blasting K-​pop mix throughout the night. There were also activities there was a scavenger picture hunt and craft tables set-​up. CRAFT TABLE YEEEE *internally screaming like a little girl* You probably can guess where I went for. Oh I’ll only stay over there for about 10 – 15 minutes — she says. I’ll do this real quick watch the Korean drumming and participate in the scavenger hunt — she says. Oh I was so wrong. One table had paper mache dolls dressed in hanboks. You create the hanboks on the figurines using color paper and paint. Not a fan of paper mache so I passed. The other table was watercolor block painting. You had a choice of painting pre-​made wood blocks with a choice of painting a fish, dragon, flowers, or a cat with watercolor. Winner!!! So I chose the fish and this is where I spent the majority of my time (1.5 to 2 hours), here at this table. I did a damn good job on my painting I do say so myself. I wasn’t the only one who did that. There was a bit of a paint-​off between me and two other people that kinda drew a bit of attention, it was so much fun.
The next fun part was the samurai reenactment. I took pictures and video of this given the design of the courtyard and their outfits, it felt like something from Samurai 7 (the live-​action movie classic not the animé). I really enjoy watching that and had the opportunity to take pics with them along with holding the sword.
Great music, entertainment, hands-​on activities, educational, and great conversations with guest made this a really awesome evening. I’ll attend another Fusion Friday when I’ll return back to L.A.

Came here for Fusion Friday last night. The museum itself is nice. It’s fairly small, but the exhibits are interesting and different. Ancient Asian exhibits. One of the coolest exhibits I saw and what seemed to be the crowd favorite was the mountain of fortune cookies. Thousands and thousand of fortune cookies!
What made this evening fun for me was the events that took place. Food and drinks we’re sold. The Tile painting/​drawing was cool. I got my name spelled out in Pakistani and then I got the chance to decorate the tile however I pleased. The photo booth was also cool. Many different hats and props to choose and take a pic. The live music was interesting.
Overall great turnout. I will recommend this museum to anybody looking to learn more about the Asian culture. Many great exhibits. A souvenir store as you walk in/​out of the venue.
PS I’m accustomed to seeing «DO NOT TOUCH» signs all over museums, but this one had a few signs that said «PLEASE TOUCH’. I didn’t touch anything.

I came here for the final Fusion Friday of the season, and this was also my first visit to the museum, which may have been detrimental to all future visits because the event was amazing! And if there isn’t a band in the garden, projected Bollywood movies, beer/​wine for sale, a photo booth, and the opportunity to paint the next time I go, I will be disappointed.
The museum itself isn’t large, and can easily be gotten through in thirty minutes to an hour. It offers a mix of ancient artwork and contemporary works, which are very different from one another. The contemporary pieces were the most inert eating to me as they were unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere. The museum also has interactive portions of it: such as the Silk Road exhibit.
Unless you’re a local, I suggest going here and the Pasadena Museum of California Art (which is right around the corner, and also not very large).

Bummer, I thought I checked into this event. I hope everyone can see the photos I took. The Pacific Asia Museum is a great museum. It’s one of those museums you wish had more space and more artifacts. Maybe one of these days it can expand. Again I do appreciate Katie B allowing me to attend this event while I’m out of town. My home is Austin, TX.
There was a scavenger hunt which was fun but I didn’t complete it as I was distracted by looking at all the artifacts. Then there were arts and crafts. Performance by Korean drummers and a samurai battle.
There was a separate charge for food and drinks. There were food trucks outside and you can bring the food inside. A small, intimate space but I had a great time.

Got two tickets to this event last Friday and had a great time venturing out to Pasadena and exploring the museum at their Fusion Friday’s event.
Loved the Korean drummers, the head ribbon spinner was insane! I want to see that again for sure! Samurais were awesome and I loved that they had some fun art projects going on. The art tables were a bit busy so I grabbed a couple wood boards with Asian inspired art to paint at home.
Made it in time for happy hour and got a couple glasses of white wine for $ 3 each — not bad! Also, loved the bottle opener give away from Angel City Brewery.
Unfortunately wasn’t that into the 2 food trucks outside. India Jones charges if you use credit cards which is so unnecessary as you can now use services that can avoid that charge. Pie ‘n Burger looked good BUT we were at the Pacific Asia Museum and I was really hoping for some Asian food. Would have been totally in theme if they had a Korean BBQ food truck (and there are so many around town)
Regardless, had a lovely evening and so glad I got to explore the museum. Thanks so much USC Pacific Asia Museum for putting on this event and thank you Unilocal and Katie B. for offering the tickets :)

Came here with a friend for their Fusion Friday. We were able to get in for free due to one of the many perks of being Unilocal elite :) but I believe tickets are usually $ 15. Overall it was a nice quaint social event for people to learn more about Pacific Asian cultures. The ambiance was very nice and classy since it was cocktail attire and they had a bar as well as nice lighting and an outdoor area. Parking was easy to find and they had two food trucks out front that looked pretty tasty. The exhibit itself was pretty small though as was the event in general. I feel that perhaps if it wasn’t so crowded the experience might have been a bit better. There was also a scavenger hunt you could participate in to get a chance at winning a $ 100 gift card from Wells Fargo. Overall it was a pretty interesting experience that was different from my norm.

Came here for the Fusion Fridays and had a great time! we got to meet one of the nicest samurai sword enthusiasts in the world, enjoy a Korean drum show, and witness a Samurai battle reenactment. They have food trucks in the parking lot and drinks inside. Don’t expect good wine, though. :(

Fusion Friday’s are amazing! Such a nice welcoming event! A beautiful courtyard with entertainment and an opportunity to tour the museum. Food trucks are available for dinner. It really was a nice event!

What an awesome monthly event! Thanks to Katie B., my wife and I scored two tickets to Fusion Friday and we had a blast, enjoying a night of food, drink, art, and music at the Pacific Asia Museum. We arrived close to 8pm (the event started at 7:30pm) and were invited to participate in a scavenger hunt, which was fun and easy — we had to find someone wearing green and bring them to the prize table, where we scored a cool set of museum greeting cards. Although we decided to skip the food trucks (Komodo and India Jones) due to a big dinner, we treated ourselves to $ 3 glasses of wine and watched a Tibetan folk dance. My wife got a free henna tattoo (tips were given, of course), then we walked around the museum, which featured ancient works as well as modern art.
Most of the action for the evening took place in the museum’s beautiful courtyard, which was a perfect spot for relaxing, mingling, and soaking in the atmosphere under the stars. The crowd was a cool, eclectic mix: we met a few Unilocalers as well as some locals and tourists, and everybody appeared to enjoy themselves. The Bollywood Fusion dance was energetic and fun and drew the biggest response of the night. Finally, we found the mix-​your-​own-​masala table, which had various ingredients and recipe cards for making your very own spice mix to go. We loved this activity and couldn’t wait to go home to find something to cook with our new spices. As we took one last trip around the courtyard and museum before our exit, we were already making plans to attend the next Fusion Friday.
Highly recommended.

My first time to attend an LA East event (I belong to LA West) and I was on the edge of my seat until I got my confirmation the day before.
I’d read about Fusion Fridays last year and was so elated to visit the USC Pacific Asia Museum for the first time courtesy of Unilocal!Many thanks to Katie B. and LA East for letting me and my +1 guest, Stephanie P. attend!
Check-​in was smooth; Katie B. wasn’t actually there, but her fun spirit was ;-) They’ll give you a paper wristband so you’ll have in-​and-​out privileges — food trucks such as India Jones were in the parking lot next door. Komodo truck was there for June; Pasadena’s Pie ‘n Burger will be there in July and Kogi BBQ food truck will join India Jones in the parking lot in August 2014.
My 2 tickets were valued at $ 15 each and for a non-​profit museum to give them out via Unilocal as one of the sponsors ($ 30 total value), that’s awesome IMHO.
I’d consider coming back on my own dime during the summer (July 18, 2014 or August 15, 2014) because the $ 15 admission includes viewing the art galleries of the museum, performances and demonstrations. There was also a free roulette wheel raffle where everyone got to win a prize — I chose arty-​looking note cards.
Tips:
**Attire: They recommended Cocktail or Asian attire, but dressy jeans, khakis and sun dresses seemed to be ok, too. I went in a boring, but sleeveless Little Black Dress. Honestly, summer time is too hot to for me to be driving across town in a kimono.
**Separate charge for alcoholic beverages from the cash bar in the museum courtyard.
**Parking: Some free parking is available in the adjacent parking lot north of the museum at Los Robles Avenue and Union Street.

I’ve been coming to Pasadena all my life and never did I know there was a museum right down Los Robles. Now I know and what a great event for fridays! Thank you Unilocal for the free tickets!
The reason I wanted to come was because it sound fun and something different for a friday night. That is exactly what I got. There was free parking, food trucks, beer from Angel City, wine, and music. We got to enjoy Tibetan dancing and Bollywood Fusion. I was impressed. The music was not your typical hippity hoppity but it was music to the ears because it meshed well with the event. I personally liked the free henna tattoos, she was very nice and patient. Loved the design I got. There was even a table to make your own Masala spice. I already used the spice I made! Everyone was very friendly and simply just enjoying themselves.
Another plus side, you get to venture into the museum as well. It was interesting, informative, and beautiful. Something about museums capture my attention. If you aren’t a museum person, at least check out the large pile of fortune cookies. May all your fortunes come true!
–Give it a try!

I was honestly disappointed by this event.
The invitation said Asian attire encouraged, but hardly anyone was in Asian attire. I wanted to see all the pretty cheongsams, wraps, hanboks, kimonos… I was one of the few oddballs to dress up in my fusion hanbok.
The people were really nice, and the museum was small but nice. The gift shop had a lot of pretty clothing and interesting books.
When I went, there was a dance floor, but no one was dancing. The music didn’t get started right away. I didn’t stay for the performances, and I didn’t want to wait in line for the henna, since I was there with my bf, and I didn’t want him to get bored.
The parking structure was really tight. Even after we managed to find a spot, it was so tight a squeeze, we couldn’t open any doors. We ended up parking near the seminary nearby.
The food trucks available weren’t very Asian, so they were a disappointment as well, although I’ll save that for their own individual reviews.
Overall, it’s great that the museum is trying to start up a night life, but I’ve seen classier art gallery openings with free entrance and refreshments.

As a Westsider, I don’t think I would come out to this event again. The venue was small, so the space available for socializing was quite limited. There were two food trucks outside available for purchase, while the only beverages available were water, Izzy soda (for $ 2 a pop) and Angel City Brewery on tap (for $ 3 a pop). The beer was served in plastic cups, incomparable in size and quality to a beer glass. Needless to say, I felt that there weren’t very many options for us to explore a variety of vendors. Moreover, it was discouraging to pay for and eat food from the trucks outside when they actually smelled like human urine.
When we arrived at the event, we were advised of a «scavenger hunt» to complete in order to spin a wheel for a prize. I thought this was a fun idea and a great way to get the guests to keep a watchful eye while going through the museum. When we reached the gift-​redemption table, however, we weren’t asked to verify any of our findings with the pictures we took on our phones and were welcomed to pick out any prize we wanted from the table. While I appreciate the generous «honor system,» I feel like our efforts went to waste as we deleted the pictures from our phones.
I enjoyed the opportunity to take creative photobooth pictures, as Yorokobi is always a welcome vendor at LA East events! The guys were instructive and pleasant to talk to, and allowed us to use the photobooth multiple times as the event was pretty empty. We also had an opportunity to observe the lion and dragon dance they put on for the guests. My only problem with this was since the space was so small, the dancers did not have much room to maneuver through the crowd. I think the dance would’ve been more of a spectacle to appreciate if the dancers had been allotted a larger space.
Although the space was quite small, this event would be a good opportunity to learn about the different art pieces available despite the gimmicky scavenger hunt they provided for us. There is a parking lot available as well as plenty of street parking, which is conveniently free when the event begins!

Excellent! What a fun event! When we arrived a lot of folks were sitting in the outdoor patio. A few tables were set up by the stage, there was a beverage table with beer, wine and sodas. Another table had the ticket booth for beverages and I think I paid $ 5 for a cup of beer. There was a fun photo booth set up too. We didn’t get around to actually going inside the museum because we were preoccupied with the Chinese opera singer and salsa dance lessons, but there was time to check out the gift shop and chat with the nice ladies there. Definitely enjoyed ourselves!

Super fun! Made for a perfect date night.
$ 5 wine/​beer. Photobooth fun. Great performances. Salsa lesson. Exhibits were awesome. People were super nice. Really close to Colorado Blvd (restaurant and bars) & metro stop.
The hubby and I had a great time.

This was nice little event, it basically the museum admission plus some festival and activities. This event take place at Friday Night, Thanks to Unilocal that I got 2 tix for this event, is value about $ 15 each. As a note, no food or drink is included. Only the admission and see the performance.
I had been to this museum few time, but every time there’s a lot of new exhibit and always something to see. For those who like Asian Culture, this is museum to visit.

I didn’t know what to expect… but I went in with an open mind… after it was said and done I didn’t even need an open mind. It was all the things I love rolled into one event! Great food trucks out front, free parking, cheap good beer, entertainment, arts, plus an eccentric mix of guests… non Unilocalers plus Unilocalers…
I felt fancy there… I felt like I was rubbing elbows with the creative crowd… you know the ones that wore berets and traveled to Europe and Asian during holiday…
I can’t wait to go back so I can recreate that feeling once again…

Solid event, great venue!
The Museum —
If you have never been to the museum you need to come on down while in the area. It’s quaint, but in a good way. Most large museums try to be everything to everyone and they have no identity. Not here. The building itself is a work of architectural art. The installation of rubber and the Fortune cookies were my favorite. Being your reading glasses because you will want to read all the tidbits on the artifacts.
The Event —
From the start, the staff was amazing. Very welcoming, especially since I obviously didn’t follow directions property. My bad! Everyone was pleasant and gracious, and I love the photographer. She thanked me for dressing up, no problem! Throughout the night there were amazing performances. My favorite were the Dragon and Lion dances. The detail into those costumes are out of this world. As you know there is a bar (yeah buddy), food trucks, and a DJ. It was really peaceful sitting, enjoying and being apart of another great event.

Free parking… Friendly hosts. Dancing, dj, beer, what’s not to like???

This was an excellent event. The people from Unilocal and entire staff where so kind. Excellent entertainment and live music. Great job Unilocal