Told from the point of view of Sansei (third generation) Japanese Americans, “Resilience—A Sansei Sense of Legacy” is an exhibition of eight artists whose work reflects on the impact of Japanese American incarceration during World War II and its resonance from generation to generation. Several of the artists in Resilience employ traditional Japanese methods in the construction of their work: Lydia Nakashima Degarrod uses boro stitching on paper; Na Omi Judy Shintani creates sculpture with kimonos and the fabric she has cut out of them; and Tom Nakashima applies mixed media and paint on a byōbu folding screen. Others use iconography relating to Japanese culture as a jumping-off point for their personal explorations on the subject of incarceration camps, such as Reiko Fujii’s photographs-as-kimono. Each artist expresses in their own way moments of deeply felt pain and reluctant acceptance, emotions which their elders often withheld. “Resilience–A Sansei Sense of Legacy” opens October 2 at The Japanese American Museum of Oregon.
Exhibition artists are Kristine Aono, Reiko Fujii, Wendy Maruyama, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Tom Nakashima, Roger Shimomura, Na Omi Judy Shintani, and Jerry Takigawa.
Co-curators Jerry Takigawa and Gail Enns conceived Resilience as a catalyst to cultivate social dialogue and change around the issues of racism, hysteria, and economic exploitation still alive in America today. The eight artists featured in Resilience were selected because they have a personal connection to the subject matter, their work is well respected within the Japanese American community and the art world, and they are known for their activism on incarceration camps.
Takigawa and Enns explain, “The Sansei generation is perhaps the last generation of Japanese American artists that can be directly connected to the WWII American concentration camp experience—making their expression particularly significant in clarity of emotion. These artists lived through the years of ‘gaman,’ or silence, about the camps. That silence made a deep impression on the artists selected for Resilience.”
On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 as a response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces. The law authorized the removal of Japanese and Japanese Americans from the West Coast, which had the second largest population of people of Japanese descent living outside of Japan. 110,00 were forcibly removed and incarcerated in various confinement sites. They were ordered to bring only what they could carry, unsure what awaited them, losing their homes, livelihoods, and communities in the process. Japanese and Japanese Americans who were incarcerated included Issei (first generation immigrants from Japan) and Nisei (their children born in the US). Some sansei (third generation) were in camp at a very young age or were born there, but most were not.
Resilience—A Sansei Sense of Legacy is a Program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
“Resilience–A Sansei Sense of Legacy” will be on view at The Japanese American Museum of Oregon October 2-December 22.
Gallery Hours: Friday-Sunday, 11am-3pm
Location: 411 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
Admission: Free for Friends of JAMO; $8 Adults; $6 Seniors; $5 Students; Free for Children 11 and Under
Admissions Contact: 503-224-1458, jamo.org
Exhibition Events
Resilience–A Sansei Sense of Legacy Artist Talk with Tom Nakashima will take place at the Oregon Jewish Museum on October 2 at 2pm.
About the Curators
Gail Enns is the director of the nonprofit arts management organization Celadon Arts (founded 1998, Monterey, CA). Evidenced most recently by Resilience, Enns’ curatorial focus throughout her 30-year career has included the interaction between art, community, and some of the more challenging aspects of the human condition.
Jerry Takigawa is an independent photographer, designer, writer, and the co-founder of the annual PIE (Photography + Ideas + Experience) workshop series held at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA. A third generation Japanese American, Takigawa is a proponent of design as a tool for effecting radical shifts in human thought.
The mission of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon is to preserve and honor the history and culture of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest, educate the public about the Japanese American experience during WWII, and advocate for the protection of civil rights for all Americans. Formerly known as the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, our museum is a venue for culture and research as well as an invaluable resource for exploring Nikkei experiences and their role in Oregon’s multicultural community. Our permanent exhibit space highlights Issei immigration and early life in Oregon, Nihonmachi (Japantown), and the experience during World War II through Nikkei life today.