Tea Tasting at the IMA

Last night during dinner at Elements, we couldn't help but hear the table next to us chatting about tea and the opening of the Asian collection at the IMA (going through Sunday). My friends, one a docent and the other an architect, both introduced themselves and we happily met our new friends -- experts in tea!

While getting a history lesson in how Indiana and the midwest were leaders in tea until the 1930s with one major home delivery tea company thriving here, we heard about their new tea room in Oakland (in the 4th Street Mall).

If you're interested in tea -- or Asian Art -- make sure you check out these events at the IMA this weekend! (There are more events on Sunday such as a Chinese dragron dance but after digging around on the IMA's website, this was all I could find -- nothing on the Asian opening was mentioned on the front page or events section. Too bad.)

Sunday, November 5 Tea Demonstrations and Tastings
11:00 am, 1:00 and 3:00 pm
Tea is a spiritual, artistic and culinary touchstone across Asia. Observe tea demonstrations and taste teas offered by tea connoisseurs (and our new friends!) Gaetano Kazuo Maida, Sebastian Beckwith, Winnie Yu and Kimiko Gunji. Experience the tea arts and traditions of Japan, Taiwan and China.

Films about Tea
Throughout the dayDeBoest Lecture Hall and Pulliam Great Hall
View films about tea culture, history and cultivation. View a full-length film related to Chinese tea culture in DeBoest Lecture Hall; see clips from In Pursuit of Tea, a film featuring tea growers throughout Asia, in Pulliam Great Hall.