Category: News & Announcements

2014 Gala Dinner Thanks!

Vicky Murakami-Tsuda Leave a comment
Jamie Hagiya, Wat Misaka, and Natalie Nakase at the 2014 Gala Dinner. Photo by Tracy Kumono.
Jamie Hagiya, Wat Misaka, and Natalie Nakase at the 2014 Gala Dinner, Silent Auction & After Party. Photo by Tracy Kumono.

 

Thank you to everyone who supported our 2014 Gala Dinner, Silent Auction & After Party on April 12!

The Gala is our biggest fundraising event of the year, and the funds raised allow us to continue the important work that we do. To the many people who attended the Gala, donated and bid on silent auction gifts, purchased Lexus Opportunity Drawing tickets, made Bid For Education gifts and more, we extend our deepest gratitude for your support.

One of our photographers, Tracy Kumono, produced a short slide show of the evening’s highlights, which she has graciously allowed us to share with you.

View the slideshow >>

She also has the complete set of Gala photos (more than 650) on her website, and you can order individual prints from her directly. You will need to provide your name and email address to enter the gallery and order prints.

View more photos and order prints >>

In addition, we are pleased to announce that the winner of this year’s Lexus Opportunity Drawing is Craig Tomiyoshi of Huntington Beach, California. He will pick up his brand new 2015 Lexus RC F in the fall.

We are interested in hearing your comments about the evening. If you’d like to share your thoughts, please send an email to galadinner@janm.org.

Once again, thank you for your support. We hope to see you next year!

 

Photos by Tracy Kumono, Nobuyuki Okada, Daryl Kobayashi, and Russell Kitagawa.

Member Events: How to Care for Your Collections

Esther Shin Leave a comment

Do you have a treasured family heirloom in your home but are at a loss as to how to properly care for it? Or a childhood comic book collection but do not know how to properly store it?

Learn how to store and preserve your precious items with JANM Collections Manager Margaret Zachow Wetherbee! Join us for this insightful members-only event on Sunday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Please bring a few items that you are willing to show during this interactive workshop. No appraisals will be given.

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Be sure to join us for additional members-only events this weekend! Join us for a new series, “Learning at Lunch” on Friday, May 2 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. All members are invited to bring a brown bag lunch and an open mind as Collections Manager Margaret Zachow Wetherbee will show a selection of  JANM’s collection of handmade bird pins and their fascinating stories as part of the World War II concentration camp experience.

For both of these member events please RSVP to memberevents@janm.org or call 213.830.5657.

One of the 18 rare Kodachrome photographs taken by Bill Manbo during his incarceration at the Heart Mountain concentration camp. ©2012 Takeo Bill Manbo
One of the 18 rare Kodachrome photographs taken by Bill Manbo during his incarceration at the Heart Mountain concentration camp.
©2012 Takeo Bill Manbo

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On Saturday, May 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., join us for a Member Preview of Colors of Confinement: Rare Kodachrome Photographs of Japanese American Incarceration in WWII. Members are invited to preview the 18 photographs before its public opening at 2 p.m., and for an opportunity to hear from author and curator Prof. Eric Muller, as he presents a book talk featuring the rare Kodachrome Heart Mountain camp photographs by Bill Manbo. A light reception will follow.

RSVP by emailing specialevents@janm.org or call 213.625.0414 ext. 2222.

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Member Appreciation Days
Friday, May 2 – Sunday, May 4, 2014

National Members get a 20% discount at the Museum Store and janmstore.com, plus free admission and a 20% discount at 11 other participating Southern California institutions including museums, libraries, and other cultural sites like the California Science Center, Craft and Folk Art Museum, MOCA, USC Pacific Asia Museum, and the The San Diego Museum of Art.

Check janmstore.com/membershopping.html for details. Make sure you have a current membership card for this exciting event!

 

Please visit JANM’s May events page for more information on these Member Events!

Fundraising Auction of Usagi Yojimbo Artwork

Maria Kwong Leave a comment
Stan & Sharon Sakai at the 2011 Japanese American National Museum Gala Dinner
Stan & Sharon Sakai at the 2011 Japanese American National Museum Gala Dinner

Just a heads up about this most worthy cause. The art in this auction is also being published as a book which we will sell in the Museum Store later this year.

Proceeds from the auction and book sales will help to offset the Sakai family’s ongoing medical expenses. There is some GREAT art to be had created by a stellar list of artists. The auction starts on March 6!

Click here for details >>

Stan and Sharon have been wonderful supporters and partners of JANM. We had an exhibition of his work in 2011 (Year of the Rabbit: Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo), he presented a session at our 2013 National Conference in Seattle, and we sell many Usagi Yojimbo products in our Museum Store, including JANM exclusive items.

Here is a photo of Stan and Sharon in 2011 at our Gala Dinner that year—happier times!

 

JANM member appreciation reception in San Diego!

Esther Shin Leave a comment

Reception

First stop: New York. Second stop: San Francisco. Our next stop: San Diego!

JANM will be coming to San Diego, California to host a Member & Donor Appreciation Reception on March 12! 

Without our Members and Donors, JANM would not be able to provide the programs and services, year-round, to hundreds of thousands of local, national, and international visitors.

Through the generous support of Members and Donors, the Museum has been able to continue its tradition of excellence in producing exhibitions, public programs, publications, and educations materials to preserve, interpret, and share the experiences of Japanese Americans.

We are grateful for your support, and we welcome this opportunity to meet you and show our gratitude. Please join us!

SD_Reception

When: 
Wednesday, March 12, 2014

6:30PM: Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres
7:30PM: Program

Where:
Cooley, LLP
4401 Eastgate Mall
San Diego, CA 92121

RSVP: Wednesday, March 5 to Alison Wong 213.830.5657 or memberevents@janm.org

*****

Join/renew your membership now. In addition to supporting the work and mission of the Japanese American National Museum, you also receive free admission; free or discounted rates for public programs, workshops, and conferences; 10% off at our award-winning Museum Store; invitations to special member events like these; and more!

Photo Credits: E. Shin, Cooley LLP 

JANM Member Appreciation Receptions in NYC and SF!

Esther Shin Leave a comment

Reception

Without our Members and Donors, JANM would not be able to provide the programs and services, year-round, to hundreds of thousands of local, national, and international visitors.

To show our gratitude, JANM will be hosting a Member & Donor Appreciation Reception in both San Francisco, California, and New York, New York!

Through the generous support of Members and Donors the Museum has been able to continue its tradition of excellence in producing exhibitions, public programs, publications, and educations materials to preserve, interpret, and share the experiences of Japanese Americans.

We are grateful for your support, and we welcome this opportunity to meet you. Please join us!

Daruma LLC

NEW YORK

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Time:
6:30PM Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres
7:30PM Program

Where:
Daruma Capital Management, LLC
80 W 40th St, 9th Floor
New York, NY, 10018

RSVP: Wednesday, February 19 to Alison Wong at 213. 830.5657 or memberevents@janm.org

 

Bay Bridge

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SAN FRANCISCO

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Time:
6:30PM Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres
7:30PM Program

Where:
The St. Francis Yacht Club
On the Marina
San Francisco, CA 94123

RSVP: Tuesday, February 25 to Alison Wong at 213. 830.5657 or memberevents@janm.org

* * * * *

Photo Credits: “View from Daruma Capital Management, LLC.” – Cassidy Cruz; “Golden Gate Bridge at Night” – davemmphotography.com 

Target FREE Family Saturday: Aloha from Hawaii with KoAloha Ukulele on February 8

Vicky Murakami-Tsuda 1 Comment

KAERU_ALOHA2014

KoAloha Ukulele is coming from Hawaii on Saturday, February 8 to lead performances, workshops, crafts, and all things ukulele at our next Target Free Family Saturday. It’s FREE all day!

Bring your own ukulele to learn basic and intermediate ukulele with Brian Benevente of KoAloha Ukulele and other KoAloha artist partners (11:15am/12:15pm/1:15pm/2:15pm). The little ones will enjoy strum-along and sing-along workshops with George “Gibi” del Barrio as “Abba Geebz” (Grandpa Geebz) at 11:30am, 12:45pm, and 1:45pm. If you don’t have your own ukulele, Anacapa Ukulele will be on-site selling instruments!

There will be solo performances by spectacular ukulele performers Tj Mayeshiro, Jason Arimoto, and Ryo Montgomery at 11:30am, 1pm, and 2:30pm. Plus an All-Star jam finale at 3:30pm with all three performers.

Plus, screenings of award-winning films: My KoAloha Story at 11:30am and The Haumana at 1:30pm; make your own candy leis; send an aloha to someone special by making a valentine with a bit of a Hawaiian touch; and fold an origami Hawaiian canoe.

For complete schedule, visit janm.org/target.

Video of TJ Mayeshiro and Ryo Montgomery performing in Korea:

 

Video of Jason Arimoto performing “Kaze Blues,” an original blues ukulele song about the Japanese picture bride experience in Hawaii in the early 1900s:

Target Free Family Saturday: Ukulele fun & Valentine crafts!

Lynn Yamasaki Leave a comment

Feb target crafts

Aloha! Are you ready? It’s the first Target Free Family Saturday of 2014 and we are excited to see you!!

On Saturday, January 8th from 11am – 4pm, we’ll be celebrating Hawaii with KoAloha Ukulele, who will be leading performances, workshops, crafts, and all things ukulele…and it’s all FREE! (If you have an ukulele, be sure to bring it to join in the fun.)

A full schedule for the day can be found here.

Not only is Hawaii on our minds, but, we’re also thinking about Valentine’s Day which is right around the corner. All kids can come and think sweet thoughts as they construct a candy lei. We will also have a variety of supplies available for you to make Valentine cards. It’s going to be a fun one so we hope you can join us!

 

 

Fred #KorematsuDay 2014

Allyson Nakamoto Leave a comment
IMG_6784
Karen Korematsu (right) visited JANM and worked with a group from a local high school. Photo by Richard M. Murakami.

 

January 30 is the birthday of the late Fred Korematsu and it is also Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and Social Justice!

Over the past few years, we have had a chance to get to know his daughter, Karen Korematsu, who has taken on the role of Co-Founder and now Executive Director of the Korematsu Institute, whose mission is to advance pan-ethnic civil and human rights through education.

Karen is joining with others to spread the word about her father’s story. As a young man, Mr. Korematsu purposely disobeyed the government’s 1942 order that excluded all people of Japanese ancestry, without due process, from the West Coast. He was arrested and eventually removed to a Japanese American concentration camp in Utah. He appealed his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but in 1944 the Court ruled against him, declaring that the exclusion and confinement of people of Japanese descent was justified. It wasn’t until 1983 that his conviction was finally overturned. (Here is a link to his full bio.)

For teachers who are planning to commemorate Mr. Korematsu’s stand for civil liberties, we’ve put together a few links to FREE resources that we hope might be helpful to you:

• A neat opportunity for teachers to hear Karen Korematsu speak as part of UC Berkeley’s “Movement, Militarization, and Mobilization: The Bay Area Home Front in WWII” NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshop—deadline to apply is 3/4/2014.

• A link to order Korematsu Institute curriculum

• A series of short videos and powerpoint presentations commemorating Fred Korematsu, courtesy of the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

• Lesson plan to conduct a Korematsu Mock Trial with high school students, courtesy of Mark Hansen, a fantastic Texas teacher.

Happy Fred Korematsu Day!

 

It’s a National Youth Summit webcast! Join us!

Lynn Yamasaki Leave a comment

We are so excited about our upcoming participation in a National Youth Summit with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and 10 other Smithsonian Affiliate organizations across the country.

On February 5, 2014 students from around the country will participate in a live webcast originating from The Old Capitol Museum in Jackson, Mississippi. The program will reflect on the 1964 youth-led effort for voting rights and education known as Freedom Summer and will include a panel of activists, experts, and scholars.

Tamio Wakayama Photo: Tracy Kumono
Tamio Wakayama
Photo: Tracy Kumono

Following the webcast, JANM will have our own on-site program. Tamio Wakayama, a Nisei Japanese Canadian who joined the American Civil Rights Movement as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), will share his experiences and the documentary photographs that he took from 1963 to 1964.

Now, here’s the great part: all youth and educators are invited to participate from their classrooms through the magic of the web! Teachers… this means you! Just take a look at this fantastic site for the program.

The Smithsonian has provided teaching resources and other tools for you and your students. You can pre-register and join in the conversation along with us and view the program streaming live from the Old Capitol Museum.

Register online now >>

 

Awkward ‘n’ Awesome Rock ‘n’ Roll Movie THE CRUMBLES screening at JANM on Sat Jan 25!

Akira Boch Leave a comment

crumbles still

THE CRUMBLES is an indie rock slice-of-life tragicomedy about Darla and Elisa, two young women struggling to catapult their talented but directionless garage band to stardom. Called “elegant and affectionate” by the LA Times, this lighthearted romp across the east side of Los Angeles offers a fun and realistic portrait of what it’s like to be in a fledgling band. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2012 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

Directed by Akira Boch and featuring music by Grammy winner Quetzal Flores.

Cast and Crew will be in attendance.

This is a FREE EVENT!

When: SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 @ 7pm

Where: Tateuchi Democracy Forum
Japanese American National Museum
111 N. Central Ave., LA, CA 90012

Sponsored by the Japanese American National Museum

FREE BEER reception to follow, sponsored by Lagunitas Brewing Company

Afterparty at Wolf & Crane in Little Tokyo starts at 10pm

More info: thecrumbles.com

Check out The Crumbles on Facebook

The Crumbles @ JANM Sat. Jan 25