Dear mystery artist, thanks SO much for creating this ephemeral piece of magic right next to our staff entrance (McAllister and Hyde). We all LOVE it. Not only has it put a spring in our step, but we’re sure it’s a pleasant surprise for every passerby. Thank you.

ps - excellent use of sticky dots too.

UPDATE: Some people have brought to our attention that this work is very familiar to that of Mademoiselle Maurice. Or Wu Mali.

LATEST UPDATE: Actually the artist(s) is TheUpsideUp. The only thing we know about her/him/them is that they’re super nice and awesome!

Local artists Charlene Tan and SpaceBi made these 4-ft tall maneki neko cats out of the Asian Art Museum’s old letterhead (which were rendered obsolete by our new brand identity). Very clever recycling of something that otherwise would’ve gone straight to the recycling bin.

After the paper cats were created, they were “unofficially” staged on our entrance during one of our free days. What a massive hit, especially for many of the families who wait in line to get into the museum.

Here, the cats are holding brewskies because tonight at MATCHA (our art carnival-esque event with SpaceBi). the first 200 people who enter our doors get a drink ticket for a free Sapporo beer.

Click here to find out more about the cats and how they were made.

A fierce Japanese-art inspired face, possibly made out of paper, hovers over diners in Sakagura, NYC. Some consider it to be the best izakaya in the country. It was pretty good, and the sake selection is no joke.