Storytelling Videos

Asian Art Museum Storyteller Asha Bajaj tells a story about a witty princess who outsmarted death.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller Leta Bushyhead tells a story about how a prince became the Buddha.

Asian Art Museum storyteller Fred Shang tells a lunar new year story about the Chinese zodiac.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller Monica Desai tells a Hindu story about the lion-headed Narasimha.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Elizabeth Overmeyer, tells a story in the Chinese galleries about six Chinese brothers.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Miriam Mills, engages pre-school students with a story about a tiger and a puppy in the museum's Korea galleries.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Miriam Mills, engages pre-school students in the museum's Korea galleries by telling a Korean folktale about a tiger and a puppy using artworks from the Asian Art Museum's collection.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Leta Bushyhead, tells a story about the First Emperor (Qin Shihuang) and the Great Wall of China in the Asian Art Museum's Chinese galleries.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Leta Bushyhead, tells the story of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Miriam Mills, engages pre-school students with a Japanese story in front of the teahouse at the Asian Art Museum.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Jeff Byers, tells a story about a magic tea kettle in front of the Japanese teahouse at the Asian Art Museum.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Jeff Byers, tells a story about a badger (or tanuki/raccoon-dog) and a magic fan in front of the teahouse at the Asian Art Museum.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Liz Nichols, tells a story about a one-inch boy and a samurai.

Liz Nichols, Asian Art Museum Storyteller, tells a Japanese story about the sun goddess, Amaterasu in the museum's Japan galleries.

Leta Bushyhead, Asian Art Museum Storyteller, tells a Japanese new year story.

Leta Bushyhead, Asian Art Museum Storyteller, tells a story about the Cyrus the Great in front of the Cyrus Cylinder at the Asian Art Museum.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Jean McDermid, tells a story about five Chinese brothers.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Miriam Mills, tells a Vietnamese New Year story.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Ann Riley, tells a story from the Philippines in the museum's collection galleries.

The guava, called bayabas in the Philippines, is full of vitamins and has been used to heal cuts and other ailments. Find out why this fruit is so important in the Philippines and how it got its name.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Leta Bushyhead, tells a Lunar New Year story about Nian, the beast, using works of art from the museum's collection.

Asian Art Museum storyteller, Jeff Byers, tells a story about the Hindu gods Shiva and Parvati.

Miriam Mills,Asian Art Museum Storyteller, tells the story of Gecko: A Balinese Folktale (adapted by Miriam Mills). Note: This story was inspired by a Balinese tale in "Folk Tales from Bali and Lombok" by Margaret Muth Alibash (Jakarta:Penerbit Djambatan, 1990). The story also is retold by Balinese storyteller Made Taro in his "Lagu-Lagu Permainan Traditional Bali" (Denpasar:Upada Sastra, 1999). In Made Taro's version, a woodpecker begins the tale and the chief is a lion, rather than a human. Illustrator, Geraldo Valèrio, made an artistic decision to depict the village head as an elephant. The tale includes folklore motifs: J2102 Expensive means of getting rid of insects, and Z40 Chains with interdependent members. In this tale I hope for Gecko's call to echo that of the Indonesian wall gecko's nightly call of TOK-keh!

Miriam Mills, Asian Art Museum Storyteller, tells the story of Rangda, a Balinese witch.

Leta Bushyhead, Asian Art Museum Storyteller, tells a Chinese folktale inspired by objects in the museum's collection. Note: The objects in this video are used to enhance this telling of The Magic Paintbrush and were not created by the artists specifically to illustrate this story.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Miriam Mills, tells the Chinese folktale, "The Dragon's Pearl" in the Asian Art Museum collection galleries. This video features artworks from the Asian Art Museum's permanent collection.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Jeff Byers, tells the legend of Bokuden, a famous samurai in the Asian Art Museum's collection galleries. This video features artworks from the Asian Art Museum's permanent collection.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Miriam Mills, tells an excerpt from The Ramayana (The Life of Rama) in the Southeast Asian galleries at the Asian Art Museum. This video features artworks from the Asian Art Museum's permanent collection.