THE 13th ANNUAL KOKORO CRAFT SHOW IS NOV. 1-15 ONLINE BOUTIQUE ORGANIZED BY VOLUNTEERS FOR JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

LOS ANGELES - The annual Kokoro Craft Show is back for 2021 as an online boutique for the second year. The event will feature more than 60 vendors selling a wide range of items.

“Year after year, our dedicated Kokoro volunteers work long hours to organize this craft show to assist JANM. Their enthusiasm and can-do spirit – even through the pandemic – is a wonderful demonstration of their support and commitment,” said Ann Burroughs, President and CEO of JANM.

Friends of the Japanese American National Museum (Friends of JANM) are sponsoring the 13th Annual Kokoro Craft Show — Virtual Kokoro2021 —  from November 1 through November 15, 2021. Shoppers can see vendor products at the new website: kokorocraftshow.com.

Online shoppers will be able to buy products directly from vendors offering unique handcrafted items from many states. More than half this year’s sellers are new to Kokoro. The products include: ceramics, apparel, jewelry, stationery, food, fashion accessories, plus many more items.

Shoppers must write “Kokoro2021” on all orders at the time of purchase. A portion of Kokoro2021 proceeds will support JANM’s educational and cultural programs.

This year’s craft boutique saw a doubling of new vendors. After a multi-state recruitment, the Friends of JANM have lined up artisans from ten states: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Kokoro is a Japanese word meaning heart, mind and spirit. The first Kokoro craft show was in 2009, created as a volunteer fundraising event for JANM during a national economic downturn.

For more information about Virtual Kokoro2021, visit kokorocraftshow.com or email kokorocraftshow@gmail.com.

And stay up to date with the craft fair and vendors at Instagram, Facebook  and 1st and Central JANM Blog.

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Established in 1985, JANM 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 in 1992, JANM has presented over 70 exhibitions onsite while traveling 17 exhibits to venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and to several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America. For more information, visit janm.org or follow us on social media @jamuseum.