JAMsj E-News
Japanese American Museum of San JoseDecember 2013
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Shirley Lin Kinoshita January 12, 2013 1:00pm Experience the exuberant art of Japanese ink painting. Learn classic themes and techniques, then create the Horse for 2014. For more details, see JAMsj website. |
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Greetings
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  from
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From JAMsj
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November 15, 2013
Dear JAMsj Friend and Supporter,
Happy Holidays! We hope this has been a great year for you and your family.
Thank you for being part of the JAMsj team! JAMsj is primarily supported by your donations, memberships and volunteerism. With no paid staff, our volunteers' time and dedication allow 100% of your financial contributions to sustain JAMsj's operations, exhibit expansions and community service.
We thank you for your past support and invite you to visit the museum during the holiday season to see what your financial contributions have helped to create. Take a step back in time and see the Japanese American experience through the creative sketches of the late cartoonist, Jack Matsuoka, as well as exhibits showcasing the Chidori Band and San Jose Taiko. For you Sansei and Yonsei, see what camp life was like for your parents and grandparents through Jack's humorous drawings. While here, visit the newly remodeled museum store for some unique holiday gifts. The store currently features our popular handmade greeting and holiday cards, tree ornaments, home décor, and much more.
In our 26th anniversary year, we hosted well over 6000 visitors. Many came specifically to participate in over 35 cultural and historic activities. These included film screenings such as the Nisei Soldiers series and The Untold Story- Internment of Japanese Americans in Hawaii. Cultural events included Hina Matsuri and Kodomo No Hi. Presentation/discussion events involved, Meet the Author: Naomi Hirahara, the Book Club discussion on "Issei Women: Echoes From Another Frontier," and forums such as, "Defining Japanese American."
Thanks to your support, we can continue to collect, preserve, and share Japanese American art, history and culture of the Greater Bay Area.
JAMsj's continued presence and influence in the community depend on your continued generosity. Please consider JAMsj when making your holiday charitable gift giving. Your donation can be mailed to JAMsj or you can contribute online at: http://tinyurl.com/jamsj-donate. This is also a great time to introduce family and friends to JAMsj by giving them a membership to the Museum for the holidays. JAMsj is a non-profit organization and contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. If you have recently donated, we thank you for your continued support.
May your holidays be merry.....
Aggie Idemoto, Ed. D., President and the entire JAMsj Family
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Japanese American Home Videos
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CAAM Introduces "Memories to Light"
Asian American Home Movie Project
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
7:00 p.m.
Japanese American Museum of San Jose
535 N. Fifth Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Do you have vintage home movies documenting your family's Asian American history? Do you have home videos? Your help is needed! Become a part of this exciting project by sharing your vintage home videos.
Please join us for an evening with Stephen Gong, film historian and executive director of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). Gong will present a selection of vintage local Japanese American home movies from CAAM's collection. He will also discuss an exciting CAAM initiative and how the community can participate.
"Memories to Light" is a project that collects, digitizes, and shares home movies -- and the stories they tell -- to a broad public. Come and enjoy some of the films that CAAM has collected thus far, and indicate if you have home movies to share. CAAM is always looking for more home videos, especially of farm life in San Jose. 
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Book Club
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Book Club to Discuss
House on Lemon Street
by Mark Rawitsch
Saturday, January 4, 2014
1:00 p.m.
Japanese American Museum San Jose
535 N. 5th Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Ring in the new year by joining the JAMsj Book Club on Saturday, January 4, 2014, when The House on Lemon Street, by Mark Rawitsch, will be discussed.
In 1915, Jukichi and Ken Harada purchased a house on Lemon Street in Riverside, California. Before the purchase, white neighbors objected because of the Haradas' Japanese ancestry. In addition, the 1913 California Alien Land Law denied them real estate ownership because they were not citizens.
To bypass the law, Harada bought the house in the names of his three youngest children,
who were American-born citizens. Neighbors protested again, resulting in the first Japanese American court test of the California Alien Land Law: The People of California v. Jukichi Harada.
Bringing this little-known story to light, The House on Lemon Street details the Haradas' decision to fight for the American dream. This book tells the story of the family's struggle for human and civil rights, social justice, property and legal rights, and fair treatment of immigrants. More importantly,the Harada family's quest for acceptance presages the deep feelings of prejudice against Asians, which set the stage for Executive Order 9066.
The Book Club meets at 1:00 p.m. the first Saturday of every other month at JAMsj. Meetings are open to the general public, and books are available for purchase at the museum store. Questions? Contact Book Club facilitator, Aggie Idemoto at aggie@jamsj.org or (408) 294-3138.
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Save the Date
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Ai Love Japan - Tohoku Update 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Japanese American Museum of San Jose
535 N. Fifth Street
San Jose, CA 95112
With the third anniversary of the "Great East Japan Earthquake" just around the corner, many of you are wondering how the people are doing following the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. JAMsj is hosting "Ai Love Japan-Tohoku Update 2014" Saturday, February 22, 2014 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to answer those questions and show you what's changed in the Tohoku area. The event will feature a pictorial and video update by Darrell Miho, who has been to Tohoku 12 times since March 2011. We will then have live, one-on-one Skype video calls with people from the area, giving participants the chance to interact with and hear directly from those who were most affected.
Reserve your spot by contacting PublicPrograms@jamsj.org or calling (408) 294-3138.
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"Around the Table" Exhibit Opening
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JAMsj Partners with SJMA
for the Sake of Food
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Photo courtesy of Jessica Savage
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Let's talk about food! Everyone has heard the saying, "You are what you eat." A new exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Art (SJMA) takes this phrase to a whole new level. The Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj), along with 30 other partnering organizations, has teamed up with the SJMA to celebrate food in our lives. The art museum launched its interpretation of "Around the Table" on November 9, 2013 to unfold its first of a collection of art that encourages viewers to think about the role food plays in our lives, including its social, economic, and political implications.
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Photo courtesy of Jessica Savage
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Several JAMsj board members and volunteers had the opportunity to attend the recent opening of this exhibit. A variety of features engaged the senses: furniture made out of mushrooms; sixty years of the moon made from roti, an Indian flatbread; and wallpaper made entirely out of curry powder. This last one had guests sniffing the wall!
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Photo Courtesy of Jessica Savage
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But this is only the beginning. JAMsj, along with the other Bay Area partner organizations, will participate in a festival of food, creativity, and community through the collection of left-over crop tours, farm visits, performances, and exhibitions. So stay tuned for an upcoming JAMsj "Around the Table" themed event!
To learn more about the partnership or "Around the Table" exhibit, visit the San Jose Museum of Art's website at SJ Museum of Art "Around the Table."
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Jack Matsuoka Exhibit Extended
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Come See "Jack's Show: His Life and Sketches"
Japanese American Museum of San Jose
535 N. Fifth Street
San Jose, CA 95112
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Jack Matsuoka
Photo courtesy of Andy Frazer
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Last spring, JAMsj was pleased to open an exhibit featuring the renown Japanese American cartoonist, Jack Matsuoka, entitled "Jack's Show: His Life and Sketches." Matsuoka passed away on August 26 of this year. In honor of this great legend, the exhibit will be extended to January 15, 2014. The exhibit spans more than 70 years of Matsuoka's life and gives guests a rare glimpse into the man behind the drawings. It features more than 60 pieces of art from his personal collection, along with original drawings, sketches, photographs, and other artifacts.
His drawings, from illustrations of local sports and community figures to his acclaimed depictions of the Japanese American incarceration experience in his book, Poston Camp II, Block 211, have touched hearts all over the world. The Watsonville native was obviously born to draw, especially as a teen during WWII when he illustrated his experience of living in an internment camp in Poston, Arizona.
Although his work was sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes humorous, it was always honest and heartfelt. Matsuoka became one of the few Nisei cartoonists awarded membership to the prestigious National Cartoonist Association. He's also a decorated veteran, having received a Congressional Gold Medal for his service in the MIS. Many remember his work from numerous Bay Area publications, including the now extinct Hokubei Mainichi, San Francisco Examiner, San Mateo Times, and San Jose Mercury News. We encourage you to come see Jack's life and accomplishments as seen through his eyes.
JAMsj extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Jack Matsuoka. This larger-than-life character will be forever remembered. Thank you for everything that you did, Jack -- we'll miss you.
The museum is open every week, Thursday through Sunday from 12 noon to 4 p.m. We're located in the heart of Japantown, at 535 North 5th Street, San Jose, California. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.jamsj.org/, or give us a ring at (408) 294-3138.
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JAMsj Winter Boutique 2013
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Another Success Story For Winter Boutique
 | Winter Boutique 2013.
Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Sera. |
More than 1,000 shoppers descended on the Winter Boutique not only to get their holiday shopping done but also to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. This year's Winter Boutique featured a popular lineup of Bay Area artists, crafts people, and a very special guest author, Naomi Hirahara. Hirahara wrote the best-sellers, Summer of the Big Bachi and Strawberry Yellow. Shoppers this year found gifts for everyone on their lists, ranging from jewelry to memorabilia for the sports junkie. Some people even walked away with free gifts from our raffle drawings, which included a grand prize of $500!  | Winter Boutique 2013.
Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Sera.
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The committee would like to thank all boutique participants, as well as the amazing artists and authors for supporting our annual fundraiser. Your participation helps fulfill our mission to collect, preserve, and share Japanese American art, history, and culture in the greater Bay Area. And a very special thank you to all of our volunteers who worked endlessly to make this year's Winter Boutique a success! For those of you who missed this year's Winter Boutique, we hope to see you next year. Stay tuned for the details on JAMsj's Winter Boutique 2014. In the meantime, feel free to check out our website for details about this year's boutique at https://sites.google.com/site/jamsjwinterboutique/
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Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj)535 N. Fifth StreetSan Jose, CA 95112Tel: (408) 294-3138Email: mail@jamsj.orgwww.jamsj.org |
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