FREE
Join us as we dive into films produced by the Japanese American National Museum’s Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center! We will be releasing a selection of films, some for a limited time only. Organize a (virtual) screening party with your friends or family or just get cozy and enjoy the JANM Digital Film Festival from the safety of your own home. We will also have Q&A sessions with the filmmakers and others involved in the projects.
The second film in our JANM Digital Film Festival series is Masters of Modern Design: The Art of the Japanese American Experience. This documentary, a co-production between JANM’s Watase Media Arts Center and KCET for the series ARTBOUND, explores how the World War II American concentration camp experience impacted the lives of five Japanese American artists and designers and ultimately sent them on trajectories that led to their changing the face of American culture with their immense talents.
From the hand-drawn typeface on the cover of The Godfather to Herman Miller’s biomorphic coffee table, the work of Japanese American designers including Ruth Asawa, George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi, S. Neil Fujita, and Gyo Obata permeated postwar culture. While these second-generation Japanese American artists have been celebrated, less-discussed is how their WW II incarceration—a period of great hardship and discrimination—had a powerful effect on their lives and art.
There are four ways to watch the film:
- On the KCET website through May 30
- On KCET’s YouTube channel
- Airing on KCET, Southern California’s PBS station:
Sunday, May 24 • 5 p.m. (PDT) on KCET-HD
Sunday, June 7 • 12 a.m. (PDT) ON KCETLINK
Thursday, June 11 • 1 p.m. (PDT) on KCET-HD - Purchase the DVD at janmstore.com
JANM Members get 10% off!
Watch Masters of Modern Design and then join us for a Q&A with the children of the featured artists on Friday, May 29, at 6 p.m. (PDT)!