"HELLO! EXPLORING THE SUPERCUTE WORLD OF HELLO KITTY" EXHIBITION CATALOG NOW AVAILABLE

The catalog for the Japanese American National Museum’s Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty exhibition is now available for purchase at the JANM Store and online at janmstore.com. It is priced at $30.

Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty is the first large-scale museum retrospective of the iconic Sanrio character in the United States. The exhibition combines an extensive survey of rare, unique, and vintage pieces from Sanrio’s archive with an installation of 40 Hello Kitty-inspired mixed-media works by contemporary artists. The 208-page catalog features photographs of the artworks and a wide array of Hello Kitty artifacts chronicling her history and evolution as a global lifestyle brand. A bonus sticker sheet with exclusive Hello Kitty/JANM kokeshi- inspired art is included with each catalog as a nod to the “small gift, big smile” philosophy of Sanrio.

The catalog features essays by Christine R. Yano, PhD, who curated the retrospective component of the exhibition, and Jamie Rivadeneira, curator of the contemporary art component. Yano is a professor of anthropology at the University of Hawaii and author of Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific. Rivadeneira is the founder and owner of pop culture-inspired boutique JapanLA. She previously curated exhibitions for Hello Kitty’s 35th anniversary and Sanrio’s 50th anniversary celebrations. The catalog’s foreword is by JANM President and CEO Greg Kimura, PhD.

Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty is supported by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.; the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles; and Typecraft. The exhibition continues through April 26, 2015.

JANM Store hours are Tues., Wed., Fri.–Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and Thurs. noon to 8 p.m. Closed Monday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty catalog can be purchased at either the main JANM Store inside the museum or a temporary satellite store located in JANM’s historic building at 369 East First Street, or online at janmstore.com.

NOW ON VIEW AT JANM:

Common Ground: The Heart of Community
Ongoing
Incorporating hundreds of objects, documents, and photographs collected by JANM, this exhibition chronicles 130 years of Japanese American history, from the early days of the Issei pioneers through the World War II incarceration to the present.

Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty
Through April 26, 2015
Organized as part of the global icon’s 40th-anniversary celebrations, Hello! examines the colorful history of Hello Kitty and her influence on popular culture. The exhibition includes an extensive product survey, with rare and unique items from the Sanrio archives, alongside a selection of innovative contemporary artworks inspired by Hello Kitty and her world. Hello! is a specially ticketed exhibition.

About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

Established in 1985, the Japanese American National Museum promotes understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories and strives to provide a voice for Japanese Americans as well as a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public, JANM has presented over 70 exhibitions onsite and traveled 6 of its exhibitions to over 30 locations, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America.

JANM is located at 100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. General admission is $9 adults, $5 students and seniors, free for members and children under age five. Admission is free to everyone on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and every third Thursday of the month from noon to 8 p.m. General admission prices and free admission times may not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions. Closed Monday, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For more information visit janm.org or call 213.625.0414.