What does it mean to be Japanese American today? Much of our community's history has been defined in relationship to the historical experience of the Issei, Nisei, and Sansei generations with the World War II internment camps acting as a primary reference point. But does this focus on the three generations still serve as an accurate way to understand our community's identity?

Does such a narrative hinder our ability to appreciate new, emerging identities? How do multi-racial Japanese Americans fit into this story? What about the "shin-Nisei," the offspring of Japanese immigrants who came after the war--how do they fit into the narrative? Do we need new terminology to capture the richness of our community's experience?

These questions, as well as others, will be explored in this special group discussion. After a short presentation on the demographics of Japanese Americans, audience members will be asked to share their own stories, as a way of finding commonalities and differences that characterize Japanese Americans today.

Take a look inside the world of acclaimed, origami artist Linda Tomoko Mihara as she presents some of her exciting works in wearable origami fashion.

Part I: Presentation

Open to all ages. Audience members who choose not to participate in the afternoon workshop are welcome to stay and observe (space permitting).

Part II: Workshop

Interested in exploring this new frontier? Sign up for this hands-on workshop and join Mihara as she demonstrates a wet-fold technique that can be used to give paper a beautiful texture suitable for fashion. Participants will create a swatch that can either be made into a scarf or transformed into a more elaborate wearable creation.

Must be 17 or older. Workshop is limited to a maximum of 30 participants. It is recommended that workshop participants also attend the morning presentation. Participants are welcome to bring their own lunch and chat with Mihara during the break between the morning and afternoon programs.

Issei Women: Echoes from Another Frontier chronicles the lives of eleven out of some 50,000 women, whose lives were dramatically changed when they immigrated to America from the Meiji era in turn-of-the-century Japan. The book is a narrative of the women's collective lives and how they coped with and overcame the challenges of their new lives in America. These womens' stories express the strength and values they learned in Japan, which are later shared with their children and grandchildren.