Irene Y. Hirano

In the thirteen years since the founding of the Japanese American National Museum, the Museum has grown from an innovative historical museum to an interdisciplinary, international institution dedicated to sharing and celebrating the history and culture of Japanese Americans with people of all backgrounds. To date, the Museum has assembled the world’s largest collection of Japanese American art and artifacts; organized and presented traveling exhibitions across the globe; sponsored several conferences on Japanese American history and culture; and developed a national curriculum and educational program to teach children and young adults about the Japanese American experience.

Perhaps the only thing that has remained unchanged from our earliest days in 1985 throughout our $45 million-dollar expansion and development project is the involvement of our community, which stretches from our own historic neighborhood of Little Tokyo to Japan and beyond. Internationally recognized for its ground-breaking exhibitions and educational programs, the Museum is supported by over 46,000 members and contributors from all fifty states and 16 countries. Our new and improved home is a constant reminder of our mission—to celebrate the unique history and cultural identity of Japanese Americans as they relate to the shared experiences of all people—and of the men and women who have made the new Pavilion a reality. I think we can all be very proud of this bold articulation of the diversity of American culture.

The idea to expand the Japanese American National Museum has existed since its inception, and the renovation of the historic building and the construction of the new Pavilion is the embodiment of a 13-year collective community vision. For the public, the expanded Japanese American National Museum will mean a unique, unprecedented environment for discovering, experiencing and studying American history within the context of the Japanese American experience from the first issei pioneers to today’s nisei and sansei artists, scholars, historians and others.

Internationally renowned architect Gyo Obata has given the Museum a striking addition that artfully unites East-West aesthetics and significantly enhances the Museum’s facilities. The new Pavilion increases the Museum’s gallery space by nearly 300% and provides improved quarters for our National Resource Center, a state-of-the-art database that enables scholars and visitors to access the Museum’s collections and trace their individual family histories. With 85,000 square feet of new space, the Japanese American National Museum now has the room to expand our acclaimed public programs and educational activities.

I have no doubt that while 1999 marks the culmination of an unwavering commitment on the part of Museum’s Board of Trustees, staff, volunteers, and members, it also heralds the start of a new era, when the Japanese American National Museum will serve as a vibrant resource not only for the Los Angeles community but also for the nation and the world.

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