FIRST & CENTRAL: The JANM Blog -

Restaurant Owner Has Deep Roots at JANM

December 17, 2015December 17, 2015 Carol Cheh 1 Comment

Chef Andrea Uyeda at her restaurant, ediBOL. Photo by Carol Cheh.

On a recent lunch outing, a few coworkers and I decided to try ediBOL, a new restaurant in the Arts District. We were delighted to find that not only was the food delicious, but the gracious owner and chef, Andrea Uyeda, has many connections to JANM—her father designed the first public iteration of the museum, when it was located in the Historic Building across the plaza from the current facility, and she herself volunteered at the museum as a child.

Uyeda has a special fondness for JANM, and recently agreed to join the museum’s Neighborhood Discount Program for members. Current JANM members may present their membership card at ediBOL to receive a free order of fried pickle chips or rice fritters with the purchase of any large BOL. My group tried the pickle chips, and they are very tasty! Read on for an interview in which Uyeda discusses her restaurant’s origins and philosophy, and her family’s connections to JANM.

JANM: What inspired you to open a restaurant?

Andrea Uyeda: My earliest memories revolve around cooking—waking up super early on weekend mornings to make animal-shaped pancakes with my dad; my grandmother teaching me how to cook, season, and cool sushi rice to the perfect, glossy taste and texture; looking forward to mochitsuki all year, then making and eating mochi all day long on New Year’s Day; and home-cooked Sunday dinners at my grandparents’ house in Boyle Heights.

Growing up, a bowl of Japanese rice was a part of every meal. The ediBOL menu stems from my favorite way of eating: out of a bowl filled with fresh ingredients, hand-crafted flavors, and various textures and temperatures. Every item on our menu is served in a bowl, symbolizing love, family, comfort—all that’s good in life, with a punch of bold flavors that make you say WOW!

Andrea Uyeda tends to her customers, who in this case happen to be her cousins, at ediBOL. Photo by @social.agenda. — Andrea Uyeda tends to her customers, who in this case happen to be
her cousins, at ediBOL. Photo by @social.agenda.

JANM: Please describe your restaurant’s philosophy.

AU: I love creating, learning, sharing, exploring, collaborating—life is about feeling and connecting. I’ve had so much fun coming up with the ediBOL menu, which is a creative mix of favorite foods, flavors, textures, and temperatures. Each dish has roots in a lifelong love of cooking, with more recent layers of experimentation—playing with various ingredients, flavors, and cooking techniques until we hit the magic combination.

In addition to designing the menu, I have also had a blast sourcing our lapis azul granite high-top tables, enamelware bowls, deep blue chairs, dark wood dining tables, barnyard lighting fixtures, stone bathroom tiles, and the 300-year-old reclaimed teak used for our teal kitchen wall. Cooking, design, and woodworking are all passions of mine, and ediBOL is truly a passion project.

We hope to be creating a very special place for the family of workers here, the family of regular diners, and the various farmers, artisans, vendors, and neighbors whose passionate creations are showcased at the restaurant. We have a very welcoming space with an outdoor patio, and my ultimate dream is for ediBOL to not only serve great food and drinks, but to also be a place where people can gather and share their passions, which could include coffee, rice, beer, art, acting, writing, fashion, music, and lots more!

ediBOL's delicious pork belly bowl. Photo by Carol Cheh. — ediBOL’s delicious pork belly bowl. Photo by Carol Cheh.

JANM: What is your professional background?

AU: At age 13, I got my first job making waffle cones and scooping ice cream. Every job since then has been in some aspect of the hospitality industry, whether it be in the kitchen, operations, catering, marketing, purchasing, accounting, technology, design, or development. While completing a thesis on Japanese American cultural identity at Princeton, I worked the graveyard shift and ran a bakery/café owned by the mayor of Princeton. Sourcing the highest quality ingredients and coming up with seasonal scones and muffins each morning were always highlights of the day!

After graduation, I moved to Santa Monica and got a job as a host at Border Grill. Over the years, I steadily took on more responsibility as I worked my way up to Sales and Special Events Manager, General Manager, Director of Operations, Chief Operating Officer, and eventually, Co-Owner. I didn’t have a career plan or goal—I just knew that I always loved the energy of cooking on the line and being on the dining room floor.

ediBOL's miso peanut ramen. Photo by Kajsa Alger. — ediBOL’s miso peanut ramen. Photo by Kajsa Alger.

JANM: Tell us about your connections to JANM.

AU: My father, Robert Uyeda, was the architect for JANM’s first public space, located in what is now called the Historic Building. He was super excited to be involved in such a history-making venture. Somehow he got a bunch of young kids (my cousins, brother, and me) also excited to spend our summer vacations volunteering in the first JANM office, located in a loft space on Third Street. My aunt would drop us off and we’d spend the day licking stamps and sealing envelopes. When we got older, we graduated to transcribing interviews with camp survivors. I learned so much about our community’s history and feel so fortunate to have been a part of the early, formative years of JANM. It has been amazing to see so many of JANM’s ideas and dreams come to life.

ediBOL is located at 300 S. Santa Fe Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. Visit edibol.com to peruse their menu, make reservations, or place an online order.

Katsuya Terada Returns This Month to Complete His Live Drawing

December 9, 2015December 9, 2015 Carol Cheh 2 Comments

Katsuya Terada at work in the JANM galleries. Photo by Carol Cheh.

Giant Robot Biennale 4 is a highly interactive show, with several features that invite viewer engagement on a more active level than usual. One of these features is the live, on-site creation of a major new work by Katsuya Terada.

Starting shortly before the exhibition opened in October, Terada spent several days working inside of a roped-off area in JANM’s lower-level galleries to create a new, two-part drawing from scratch. Visitors were able to watch him as he worked. The artist had to leave town before he could finish, but he plans to return later this month (after the 19th) to complete the piece in the gallery.

Katsuya Terada. Photo by Carol Cheh. — Katsuya Terada.
Photo by Carol Cheh.

The live drawing idea came from Eric Nakamura, curator of the show and founder of the Giant Robot empire. “Museums are typically filled with static objects,” he noted. “I wanted to present an interactive experience, where people could ask questions, and see what artists are like in person. It’s not everywhere that you can do this.” Nakamura gave Teraya no time limits, wanting him to produce a finished work that is suitable for framing.

So far the work is looking exquisitely finished right out of the gate. It does not yet have a title, but it does have a theme: masks. “I thought it would be interesting to draw a mask wearing a mask,” the artist says. Terada, who speaks very little English, spoke to me shortly before he left with the help of his friend and fellow exhibiting artist Yoskay Yamamoto, who served as translator.

I asked Terada to explain his process, which is organic rather than planned. “If I draw one line, that will tell me how to draw the next line,” he replied. “However, when I see the entire surface, and I start drawing one image, that will usually be the starting point, and from there I’m just trying to fill up the page without making mistakes—in composition, in choice of items to draw. I’m just making sure everything fits in the right way.”

Personally, I would find that process stressful. I asked him how he felt about that, and about having people watch him while he draws.

“It is stressful! But it’s like I’m challenging myself by being in that position,” Terada replied. “Having an audience can be a positive thing—it means that I have to work hard and I can’t slack off. But drawing itself is just enjoyable to me, with or without an audience.”

Terada will be back at JANM sometime after December 19th to complete his drawing. Keep your eyes on JANM’s Twitter feed and Facebook page to see when he’s in the gallery. Until then, you can come to the museum to view his progress to date.

Katsuya Terada's unfinished drawing, as he left it in October. The artist will return to JANM this month to complete the work. Photo by Carol Cheh. — Katsuya Terada’s unfinished drawing, as he left it in October. The artist will return to
JANM later this month to complete the work. Photo by Carol Cheh.

A Courtyard Kid Returns to JANM

December 2, 2015December 3, 2015 Lynn Yamasaki Leave a comment

Staci Yamanishi stands next to her Children's Courtyard engraving. — Staci Yamanishi stands next to her
Children’s Courtyard engraving.

When eighth-grade teacher Staci Yamanishi visits JANM with her students, she takes them through Common Ground: The Heart of Community, our ongoing exhibition on the Japanese American experience, and Fighting for Democracy, our appointment-only interactive exhibit on civil rights. Before they leave to return to their classroom however, the students receive one very special bonus assignment: find their teacher’s name engraved on the JANM courtyard.

Since JANM’s Pavilion building was opened in 1999, the museum has engraved the names of its youngest constituents in the Children’s Courtyard. For JANM, the Courtyard is a way to connect to each new generation, with the hope that being a part of the museum in this way will inspire a lifetime of sharing and discovery. As the young visitors grow into adults, we hope that they will continue to return to this institution and feel that they are a part of this community.

For Staci, the engraving was a gift from her grandparents. She remembers coming to the museum with her parents when she was young to look at her name, and she has returned many times over the years. She remembers visiting JANM on a school trip in the eighth grade and again when she was a student in UCLA’s Teacher Education Program.

Staci Yamanishi's eighth-grade students discover her name engraved on JANM's Children's Courtyard. — Staci Yamanishi’s eighth-grade students discover her name
engraved on JANM’s Children’s Courtyard.

Museum staff began getting to know Staci during her UCLA years, and soon after, she contributed a poem titled “I Come from Many Memories” to JANM’s experimental exhibition Xploration Lab 2012, which explored issues of identity. Staci has also served on an educator committee, which the museum’s Education Unit convenes on occasion to help brainstorm ways JANM can better serve teachers and students.

Now, in addition to occasional visits with her family, Staci returns every year on an eighth grade field trip—no longer as a student, but as a teacher. When asked why she brings her students to JANM, she replies that it’s important to her that the students understand her history—a unique history that is not found in their textbooks.

Staci and her students inside Common Ground. — Staci and her students inside *Common Ground*.

Much of Yamanishi’s knowledge of her history comes from conversations she had with her grandfather before he passed away. Having served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team while his wife (Staci’s grandmother) was incarcerated at Manzanar, he was an advocate of sharing the Japanese American World War II experience. He ingrained in Staci the importance of being proud of one’s history and passing it on to the next generation. Now, as a teacher herself, she encourages her students to explore their own stories through family history projects.

JANM is proud to know Staci and we are thankful for people like her, who share our mission to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience.

If you are interested in purchasing an engraving for a child or youth (21 and under) in your life, visit our Children’s Courtyard Engraving page for complete details.

Diary of a Nisei Week Princess, Part Four: The Trip to Japan!

November 25, 2015November 27, 2015 Camryn Sugita Leave a comment

The 2015 Nisei Week Court pays an official visit to Mitsukoshi department store.

It’s hard to believe that a little over a month ago, my fellow 2015 Nisei Week Court members and I (and many of our parents) were exploring Tokyo and Nagoya. It was a trip of a lifetime and unlike any other trip to Japan I’d experienced before. Even though I’d been to Japan a handful of times and studied abroad in Tokyo for one year, we still managed to do things I will probably never have the opportunity to do again.

After checking into the Hotel New Otani Tokyo at the crack of dawn on Tuesday, October 13, we wasted no time exploring the city, visiting the Tokyo Skytree restaurant and observation tower and the Ueno, Asakusa, Harajuku, and Shibuya districts all in one day. Three coffees and nearly 20,000 steps later, I thought my legs were going to fall off. The next day, we went to Tokyo DisneySea, a theme park located in Urayasu, Chiba, just outside the city. I couldn’t tell who was more excited (or who shopped more)—the parents or us. We all had a great time going on rides, shopping, and eating the specialty foods.

Enjoying some custard manju at Tokyo DisneySea.

By Thursday it was already time to make our way to Nagoya—the main focus of our trip. Nagoya and Los Angeles have been sister cities since 1959—in fact, they are each other’s first sister cities, which makes for a special relationship. Nagoya’s biggest annual event is the Nagoya Matsuri, a festival held to spread Nagoya’s rich history and culture to the world—not unlike our own Nisei Week Japanese Festival back home. As official representatives of Nisei Week, our job was to spread goodwill and maintain strong relationships between the two physically distant communities.

We took the shinkansen (high-speed rail) from Tokyo Station to Nagoya Station and checked in to the Nagoya Creston Hotel. Our welcome dinner that night (which included geisha performances!) was hosted by Pyua O2, a Nagoya-based business association whose members would accompany us for much of the rest of our time there.

Taking in a tea ceremony, courtesy of Pyua 02.

The next day we paid official visits to Matsuzakaya department store, Mitsukoshi department store, and Nagoya City Hall, where we met Mayor Takashi Kawamura and his staff. After these visits, Pyua O2 took us to the unique and world-famous Osu Shopping District, which has a 400-year history and is home to over 1,200 businesses. That evening, we attended the Sister City Reception, where we met representatives from Nagoya’s other sister cities and performed two Elvis songs, “Love Me Tender” and “Hound Dog”—the latter with the help of Mayor Kawamura, who was dressed as Elvis!

The Court sings Elvis tunes for the crowd, and gets a little help from Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura! — The Court sings Elvis tunes for the crowd, and gets a little help
from Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura.

Saturday was the start of the Nagoya Matsuri. During a special Sister City event, we had the pleasure of reprising our modern dance number from Coronation at a shopping mall called Oasis 21. That night, we had dinner at a restaurant owned by one of the Pyua O2 members and sang the night away with karaoke.

A fancy shabu shabu dinner with Nagoya city officials.

Sunday was our last and possibly most memorable day in Nagoya. We squeezed in a short tour of Nagoya Castle before we had to get ready to be in the parade! I couldn’t believe the number of people in attendance—thousands and thousands. The best part was seeing all the children smile as we waved at them. We finished the night eating wagyu shabu shabu with Nagoya city officials.

A view of Gero Onsen, an idyllic hot spring resort in Gifu Prefecture.

The next morning we went on an overnight trip to Gero Onsen, a hot spring resort, accompanied by Pyua O2. Along the way we stopped in Takayama and other spots in Gifu Prefecture. On Tuesday morning, we headed back to the Creston Hotel, and then it was time to say goodbye. Even our tour guide was crying! Our time in Nagoya wouldn’t have been nearly the same without the hospitality of Pyua O2 and Nagoya’s city officials.

Camryn and her parents in front of Nagoya Castle. — Camryn and her parents in
front of Nagoya Castle.

For the rest of the trip, everyone in the group went their separate ways. Some went back home to Los Angeles while others extended their stays with excursions to Osaka, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. I decided to go back to Tokyo on my own to spend time with friends I didn’t get to see earlier in the trip.

To say we all had a great time would be an understatement. It was such an honor to represent the Nisei Week Foundation and to continue the good relationship between Nagoya and Los Angeles. We had the best food anyone could possibly eat, met the nicest people, and created lasting memories with each other and our families. We’re all looking forward to seeing the members of Pyua O2 and Nagoya city representatives at next year’s Nisei Week Japanese Festival!

Camryn Sugita is blogging about her year as a Nisei Week Princess. If you missed previous entries, you can catch up here on part 1, part 2, and part 3.

Support Tatau: Marks of Polynesia

November 19, 2015May 29, 2016 Mark Robbins 2 Comments

The story of Polynesian tattoo art, or tatau, is one of fierce dedication to cultural tradition. Despite attempts by western missionaries to eliminate the practice, tatau has survived for over two thousand years, passed down through generations of skilled tattoo artists. The act of acquiring tatau is itself a grueling test of endurance and tolerance for pain. Thus, wearing these traditional marks is a bold statement of cultural pride.

Tattoo by Su'a Sulu'ape Peter. Photo by John Agcaoili. — Tattoo by Su’a Sulu’ape Peter.
Photo by John Agcaoili.

Recognizing the importance of what tatau symbolizes, and its relevance to JANM’s work of promoting diversity, JANM will present Tatau: Marks of Polynesia, an exhibition on the artistry and legacy of Samoan tattoo.

Opening in Summer 2016, Tatau will build on JANM’s immensely popular 2014 exhibition Perseverance: Japanese Tattoo Tradition in a Modern World. Like Perseverence, Tatau is curated by acclaimed tattoo artist and author Takahiro Kitamura. We hope Tatau will inspire and enlighten our members and frequent visitors, while also introducing JANM and the Japanese American story to new audiences.

Because we expect Tatau will appeal to diverse communities, JANM was open to exploring new options for funding the exhibition. Earlier this month, the museum launched its first-ever crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds for Tatau. Contributions to the campaign will support photographing tatau, installing the exhibition at the museum, and publishing a full-color catalog. Recently, Kitamura and exhibition photographer John Agcaoili traveled to Hawai‘i to consult with Sulu’ape Steve Looney and Danielle Steffany-Looney of Pacific Soul Tattoo as well as Edward Danielson, lecturer in the Department of Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures, University of Hawai‘i, to ensure the cultural accuracy of the exhibition narrative.

Tattoo by Su'a Sulu'ape Aisea. Photo by John Agcaoili. — Tattoo by Su’a Sulu’ape Aisea. Photo by John Agcaoili.

So far, the campaign has attracted interest from around the world and raised several thousand dollars for the exhibition through donations of all sizes. Currently, we are about one-third of the way to our goal of raising $20,000.

Visit our Tatau Indiegogo page to learn more about the exhibition and help us reach our fundraising goal. Our campaign runs through December 3, 2015. And we hope to see you when Tatau comes to JANM next year.

JANM’s Board of Trustees Convenes in New York City

November 11, 2015November 11, 2015 Nicole Miyahara Leave a comment

JANM board members listen as Clifford Chanin, Vice President for Education and Public Programs at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, points out features of the outdoor memorial. Photo by Nicole Miyahara.

Members of JANM’s Board of Trustees, Board of Governors, and staff traveled to New York City for a weekend-long offsite meeting of the Board of Trustees at the end of October. It was a welcome opportunity to escape the hot temperatures in Los Angeles for the cool autumn weather in New York. Most of the weekend was devoted to taking care of business, but time was also set aside for relaxing, networking, and catching up.

The social highlight was the Saturday afternoon reception, held at the Nippon Club in Midtown. In addition to JANM board members, distinguished guests included Yosuke Honjo, CEO and President, Ito En (North America); Masahide Enoki, Vice President, Ito En; Sugu Mike, Executive Chairman, MUFG Union Bank; Yumi Higashi, Vice President of Corporate Communications, MUFG Union Bank; and Osamu Honda, Director General of the Japan Foundation, New York. Delicious food and beverages were enjoyed by all.

A carved wood plate by Henry Sugimoto, now part of the museum's permanent collection. Photo by Nicole Miyahara. — A carved wood plate by Henry Sugimoto, now part of the museum’s permanent collection. Photo by Nicole Miyahara.

At the reception, JANM announced a major gift from the estate of artist Henry Sugimoto, generously made by his daughter Madeleine. The artworks and artifacts span Sugimoto’s entire career and include 240 oil paintings and more than 200 watercolors. This acquisition makes the Sugimoto Collection, which comprises over 700 works of art, the largest collection of paintings at JANM.

Maggie Wetherbee, JANM Collections Manager, made a special trip to New York to bring one of her favorite Sugimoto pieces to the reception for guests to see. It is a carved wood plate created by the artist in the 1980s; it depicts Madeleine Sugimoto at age six, sitting in front of the mess hall at “Jerome Camp” in Arkansas, where the Sugimoto family was incarcerated, in 1943. The tags attached to her and the pieces of luggage surrounding her bore their family number, so that they could be returned to their assigned barrack if they were separated from her parents. Attendees were very excited and appreciative to see this piece up close, and were able to ask Wetherbee additional questions about the collection.

Dr. Greg Kimura, JANM’s President and CEO, gave a short presentation on the latest happenings at the museum, including exhibitions, educational tours, and new technology. Representative Mark Takano of the 41st Congressional District, a longtime supporter of the museum, spoke about what JANM means to him. He mentioned that Riverside City College, which is part of his district, holds a major collection of works by artist Mine Okubo; JANM also has a significant number of works by Okubo in its permanent collection. Rep. Takano also promised to assist JANM in bringing its recent exhibition, Before They Were Heroes: Sus Ito’s World War II Images, to a prominent venue in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Greg Kimura, JANM's President and CEO, gives a short presentation about the latest happenings at the museum. Photo by Nicole Miyahara. — Dr. Greg Kimura, JANM’s President and CEO, gives a short presentation about the latest happenings at the museum. Photo by Nicole Miyahara.

In addition to the meetings and reception, some board members and their family and friends elected to visit the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, located on the former site of the World Trade Center. The group was given a guided tour by the museum’s founding President and CEO, Joseph C. Daniels, and Vice President for Education and Public Programs Clifford Chanin. In addition to being a deeply moving experience, the intimate tour was an opportunity to build a partnership with an institution with which JANM shares a common mission of commemorating a national tragedy and promoting the messages of hope, transcendence, and tolerance that come out of it.

Another highlight of our trip was enjoying some delicious meals at Hasaki and Sakagura, two restaurants owned by Bon Yagi and his daughter Sakura Yagi, who are longtime friends of the museum. We highly recommend visiting either or both of these establishments the next time you are in New York.

A Closer Look at the Civilian Exclusion Order

November 3, 2015November 4, 2015 Lynn Yamasaki Leave a comment

Civilian Exclusion Order on display in the JANM galleries.

It’s Media Literacy Week and when our friends over at the Center for Media Literacy encouraged us to think about media literacy, two pieces from our core exhibition Common Ground: The Heart of Community came to mind.

The Civilian Exclusion Order poster, which announced the evacuation of all persons of Japanese ancestry, is seen at left. The full text can be read here. Take a close look at this document and consider some of the euphemistic words used by the government—”non-alien,” “evacuation,” and “temporary residence.”

In 1942, these posters were placed in public areas all along the West Coast of the United States. With an average of seven days’ notice, thousands of individuals of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated in American concentration camps without due process. Many of these individuals were United States citizens. They could only bring with them what they could carry and their lives were irreversibly disrupted.

Qris Yamashita's silkscreen poster, Redress/Reparations Now!/Little Tokyo. Photo by Gary Ono. — Qris Yamashita’s silkscreen poster, *Redress/Reparations Now!/Little Tokyo*. Photo by Gary Ono.

In 1983, the artist Qris Yamashita created a silkscreen poster titled Redress/Reparations Now!/Little Tokyo. Inspired by the Civilian Exclusion Order, this work looks critically at the language used, and makes notes to draw our attention to certain words and phrases, helping us to consider what they really mean.

Yamashita’s work points out that the phrase “non-alien” really meant U.S. citizens. The United States government gathered and imprisoned its own citizens based on the fact that they were of Japanese descent. The government also stated that it would provide “temporary residence” elsewhere. As it turned out, the citizens were first held in horse stables that had been transformed into temporary detention centers, and then transported to hastily built barracks in remote, barren areas.

Detail of Qris Yamashita's Redress/Reparations Now!/Little Tokyo. Photo by Gary Ono. — Detail of Qris Yamashita’s *Redress/Reparations Now!/Little Tokyo*. Photo by Gary Ono.

There is far more to explore in both of these pieces so feel free to take a closer look. The next time you’re in downtown Los Angeles, come to the Japanese American National Museum and see Common Ground: The Heart of Community to learn more about this period in our country’s history.

For more about the Civilian Exclusion Order as it relates to Executive Order 9066, read this past blog post that explains the difference between the two.

A Show of Community Solidarity at Homeboy Industries’ 5K and Festival

October 29, 2015October 30, 2015 Mark Robbins Leave a comment

JANM staffers and volunteers gather for Homeboy Industries' Every Angeleno Counts 5K and Festival. Photo by Richard Murakami. — JANM staffers and volunteers gather for Homeboy Industries’
Every Angeleno Counts 5K and Festival. Photo by Richard Murakami.

Last weekend, JANM volunteers, staff members, and friends of the museum participated in the “Every Angeleno Counts 5K and Festival” hosted by Homeboy Industries, a local organization dedicated to gang intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry. The event provided our museum with an opportunity to support a worthy cause. It also—in ways unexpected—prompted a meaningful display of solidarity by the JANM community.

JANM Events Assistant and Nisei Week Princess Camryn Sugita. Photo by Ben Furuta. — JANM Events Assistant and
Nisei Week Princess Camryn Sugita.
Photo by Ben Furuta.

It all started earlier this year. Upon being selected as a candidate for the Nisei Week Court, JANM Events Assistant Camryn Sugita was asked by the Queen’s Committee to pick an organization or cause to support throughout 2015. Camryn’s choice was Homeboy Industries.

Every October, Homeboy holds its 5K and Festival, which celebrates the worth of every Angeleno and the work of the organization. Leading up to this year’s event, Camryn urged JANM staff and volunteers to participate—by running the 5K, making a donation, and/or coming out to attend the festivities. Among those eagerly accepting Camryn’s challenge was longtime JANM docent and taiko workshop leader, Hal Keimi. Hal, who has volunteered for the museum with his wife Barbara since 1990, signed up to join Camryn in the 5K.

JANM staffers Sylvia Lopez, Kelly Kawata, and Vedette Philip participate in the 5K run. Photo by Richard Murakami. — JANM staffers Sylvia Lopez, Kelly Kawata, and Vedette Philip
participate in the 5K run. Photo by Richard Murakami.

Fate, however, took an unfortunate turn. Prior to the race, Hal had a serious fall while running near his home and suffered significant injuries. He was hospitalized and needed surgery on his jaw. Learning of Hal’s accident, JANM staff and volunteers were even more determined for the museum to have a strong presence at the 5K and Festival. They launched a campaign called “Help Hal to Help Camryn” to rally support for their two friends and Homeboy Industries.

JANM staffer Clement Hanami, volunteer Michael Okuda, and staffer Evan Kodani. Photo by Richard Murakami. — JANM staffer Clement Hanami, volunteer Michael Okuda,
and staffer Evan Kodani. Photo by Richard Murakami.

On the day of Every Angeleno Counts, members of the JANM community ran (and briskly walked) the 5K, cheered on participants, and staffed a vendor booth to spread the word about JANM and its mission. When all was said and done, Camryn had successfully raised nearly $2,300 for Homeboy Industries.

JANM volunteer Michael Okuda, staffer Sylvia Lopez, Hirotami Ogawa, and his wife, volunteer Kyoko Ogawa, at Every Angeleno Counts. Photo by Richard Murakami.

“Thank you to everyone who came out and donated to the Miss GEO 2015 team!” said Camryn, whose title reflects her pageant sponsor, the Gardena Evening Optimist (GEO) club. “It was a huge success! Despite Hal’s injuries and absence, he inspired us to go forth and do our best in the 5K. I wouldn’t have been able to reach my fundraising goal without him, and now I’m looking forward to organizing my next fundraising event for Homeboy Industries.”

JANM staff and volunteers at the museum's information booth. Photo by Ben Furuta. — JANM staff and volunteers at the museum’s information booth. Photo by Ben Furuta.

As for Hal, his condition is improving steadily. Barbara thanked all the individuals who came together to help Hal support Camryn and Homeboy.

A Chat with GRB4 Artist Yoskay Yamamoto

October 21, 2015October 21, 2015 Carol Cheh 1 Comment

Yoskay Yamamoto in front of his artwork, Wish You Were Here. — Yoskay Yamamoto in front of his artwork, *Wish You Were Here*.

Giant Robot Biennale 4 is filled with outstanding artworks. One of the most attention-grabbing is perhaps Yoskay Yamamoto’s Wish You Were Here, a complex, wall-mounted installation composed of numerous small paintings, photo-transfer panels, hand-carved wooden sculptures, and hanging objects. Displayed near the back of JANM’s upper-level galleries, Wish You Were Here stuns viewers with its exuberant presence.

Shortly before GRB4 opened, Yamamoto graciously answered a few questions about this work and the others he has in the show.

JANM: Did you custom-make Wish You Were Here for this exhibition?

Yoskay Yamamoto: Yes. This is a type of installation that I’ve been working on since 2012; I think that was the first time I did something with the panels and suspended sculptures together as one piece. From there, I gradually added more panels, and repainted more, adding different color palates and textures. The latest additions are the sunset hues and scenery, painted to fit into this particular kind of color palette.

Yoskay Yamamoto's Wish You Were Here. — Yoskay Yamamoto’s *Wish You Were Here*.

JANM: What were the inspirations behind this piece?

YY: The sunset is one of the main visual elements in the 100 panels I brought here. Ever since I started living in Los Angeles, I’ve been fascinated by how beautiful the sunset is in the city. At the same time, I’ve heard it’s due to the smog we have. I find this ironic. If I’m outside at the right time, I try to photograph the sunsets I see. Then I use a lot of them as reference.

JANM: So you were born in Japan?

YY: Yes, in this small seaside town called Toba, which has a population of about 22,000. It’s decreasing every year because the younger generation ends up leaving to go to bigger cities.

Yoskay Yamamoto's California Dreamin' and Keep On Shining — Yoskay Yamamoto’s *California Dreamin’* and *Keep On Shining*.

JANM: What brought you to California?

YY: Toba is a sister city to Santa Barbara, so I went to high school there and then studied graphic design at the community college. To pursue my art, I moved to San Francisco for about a year. Then, ironically, I got assigned to a gallery in LA. So I packed up my stuff and moved down here.

Yoskay Yamamoto's Cosmic Boy. — Yoskay Yamamoto’s *Cosmic Boy*.

JANM: Can you tell us about the other three pieces you have in the show?

YY: The smaller wall installation is called Cosmic Boy. I bought a bootleg Astro Boy figure from Hong Kong on eBay, and I just took the head off and re-sculpted it. Then I had my friend fabricate 25 of them for me.

I also have two paintings here called Keep on Shining and California Dreamin’. These are both based on the old Americana signage that I see around LA. I think this is something that’s dying in culture—I don’t think anybody is making these signs any more. I like seeing the craftsmanship in them—there’s something special and magical about it. I try to pick some titles or combinations of words that I like, to give a positive message to them.

Giant Robot Biennale 4 is on view at JANM through January 24, 2016.

Giant Robot Biennale 4 is now on view!

October 14, 2015October 15, 2015 Carol Cheh Leave a comment

Having fun inside of kozyndan's custom vinyl mural, Heat Run Samadhi. Photo by Nobuyuki Okada. — Having fun inside of kozyndan’s custom vinyl mural, *Heat Run Samadhi*.
Photo by Nobuyuki Okada.

Since 2007, JANM has partnered with Giant Robot founder Eric Nakamura to produce the Giant Robot Biennale, a recurring art exhibition dedicated to showcasing the diverse creative works brought together under the ethos of the popular brand. The latest edition, Giant Robot Biennale 4, examines the evolution of the Giant Robot aesthetic from its humble origins in drawing to its many celebrated manifestations in painting, installation, muralism, and photography.

This past Saturday night, GRB4 had its grand opening celebration. More than 2,000 guests gathered at the museum for a lively evening of art, music, food, and crafts. Enjoy the photos that follow!