MAH JONGG: Crak, Bam, Dot

Mah Jongg: Crak, Bam, Dot Mah Jongg a game more widely known than played or understood is a true cultural hybrid. With roots in ancient China, it made a lasting impression on American audiences in the 1920s and has endured as a cultural touchstone ever since. Part of this cultural hybridity derives from the experience of Jewish women who became closely aligned with the game by the late 1930s and developed the National Mah Jongg League. New York City-based 2wice Arts Foundation has published Mah Jongg: Crack, Bam Dot! a new book that looks at the game and the Mah Jongg craze of the 1920s and 30s. Mah Jong looks at this fascinating history and celebrates the visual universe of mah jongg as manifested in beautifully crafted game sets and packaging, in photographs of players, and in the broader context of fashion and style. Includes essays on Chinese and Jewish connections: How Chow Mein Became the Chosen Food of the Chosen People: writer Jennifer 8. Lee considers how cooking and geography connect two cultures that share a fondness for mah jongg as well as chop suey. Stereotypes: Design historian Paul Shaw contributes an essay on how Asian, Hebrew, and Yiddish-inspired lettering creates a bridge albeit a caricatured one between cultures. The Game of a Thousand Wonders: Melissa Martens (exhibition curator of Project Mah Jongg) explores how the game was introduced to American audiences and became associated with Jewish audiences. Anna May Wong: Silent Beauty: Daniel Cappello explores Edward Steichen's portraits of Anna May Wong, Hollywood's first Chinese star. Mah Jongg also includes specially commissioned visual contributions: A series of mah jongg-inspired fashions created by Isaac Mizrahi Illustrator and author Maira Kalman s Mah Jong gmurder mystery IIllustrator Christoph Niemann s series of Mah Jongg tiles with iconic Jewish symbols Illustrator Bruce McCall's enigmatic, surrealist tableau connecting ancient China and 1950s Miami Beach. 2wice Books are produced by the 2wice Arts Foundation, which is directed by Patsy Tarr. The Foundation creates beautifully designed and produced publications that explore themes in performance, art, fashion, and design. 2wice publications have received numerous honors in the arenas of publishing and design for art director Abbott Miller's ongoing creative direction.