JANM Announces Fall 2024 Exhibitions and Programs

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) announces its schedule of fall 2024 exhibitions and programs. Tickets are $16 ($9 for seniors and students, free for JANM Members) unless otherwise noted and will be available at janm.org/events.

Contested Histories: Preserving and Sharing a Community Collection tells the story of Japanese Americans’ resilience, ingenuity, and creativity through handmade necessities like furniture and tools to works of art they created while incarcerated in America’s concentration camps. Explore the collection that sparked national protest, decisive action, and multigenerational conversations within and beyond the Japanese American community. Contested Histories will be on view from October 19, 2024–January 5, 2025. The exhibition is funded, in part, by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program. Additional support is provided by George and Brad Takei, the Earle K. & Katherine F. (Muto) Moore Foundation, and Richard Sakai.

Giant Robot Biennale 5 has been extended through January 5, 2025. See work from artists Sean Chao, Felicia Chiao, Luke Chueh, Giorgiko, James Jean, Taylor Lee, Mike Shinoda, Rain Szeto, and Yoskay Yamamoto. The exhibition highlights diverse creative works celebrating the ethos of Giant Robot—a staple of Asian American alternative pop culture and an influential brand encompassing pop art, skateboard, comic book, graphic arts, and vinyl toy culture. Giant Robot Biennale 5 is presented by JANM and Eric Nakamura, founder of Giant Robot. The exhibition is sponsored by Bank of America; the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs; and Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. The media sponsor is The Rafu Shimpo.

Upcoming dates for public programs and events are:

Saturday, August 3, 2024
Most Honorable Son with Gregg Jones
2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

Gregg Jones will discuss Most Honorable Son: A Forgotten Hero’s Fight Against Fascism and Hate During World War II. The book is the first comprehensive biography of Japanese American World War II hero Ben Kuroki. It includes a foreword by Naomi Ostwald Kawamura, executive director of Densho; an introduction by William T Fujioka, chair of the JANM Board of Trustees; and an afterword by Jonathan Eig, recipient of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Martin Luther King Jr. Most Honorable Son is available for purchase at the JANM Store.

Saturday, August 10, 2024
Natsumatsuri Family Festival
11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Free

Celebrate summer with cultural performances by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko, East LA Taiko, and Cold Tofu Improv and Comedy Group; an obon lecture and community dance; a taiko workshop, a Giant Robot drawing workshop with the artist duo Giorgiko; book readings with the Los Angeles Public Library and Sachiko Goes Racing author and former pro race car driver Nadine Sachiko Hsu; a scavenger hunt; souvenir photos and more.

Natsumatsuri is sponsored by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Nissan Foundation, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, and the Port of Long Beach. The media sponsor is The Rafu Shimpo.

Saturday, August 17, 2024
J. T. Sata Exhibition: Curator Tour with Dennis Reed and Robert Hori
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Take a tour of JANM’s exhibition, J. T. Sata: Immigrant Modernist with exhibition curator Dennis Reed and Robert Hori, associate director of Cultural Programs at the Huntington. The exhibition comprises sixty photographs by J. T. Sata, photographs of Sata’s concentration camp paintings and drawings, and family artifacts from camp. Reed will talk about Sata’s photography and legacy as well as the process of curating the exhibition. Hori will share his reflections on Sata’s work and its relationship with Japanese culture and aesthetics.

Thursday, August 22, 2024
Nikkei Uncovered IV: a poetry reading
6 p.m.–7:30 p.m. PDT (Virtual)
Free and open to all; ticket required to receive Zoom link

A powerful lineup of poets from Discover Nikkei’s Nikkei Uncovered: a poetry column will come together for Discover Nikkei’s fourth annual virtual poetry reading. Hosted by traci kato-kiriyama, author of Navigating With(out) Instruments, the featured poets are Christine Kitano, Mia Ayumi Malhotra, and Matthew Mejia.

Saturday, August 24, 2024
Manzanar Baseball Project
11 a.m.–1 p.m.

During the 1940s, baseball was the national pastime of the US, including in America’s World War II concentration camps. Japanese Americans created leagues in all ten camps and the games drew huge crowds, with spectators often standing and sitting on bare dirt under the blazing sun. Baseball was a way for Japanese Americans to find a sense of normalcy, uplift their spirits, and claim a connection to American culture.

Today the Manzanar Baseball Project is rebuilding and bringing to life the diamond at Manzanar National Historic Site. Artist and Project Director Dan Kwong will be joined by Josh Morey, Bobby Umemoto, Chris Komai, and Prof. Susan Kamei in conversation about this compelling project, the rich history of Japanese Americans and baseball, and how they came to overlap in this often overlooked chapter of the nation’s history.

Saturday, August 31, 2024
Giant Robot × JANM Konbini 2
11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Shop at JANM and mingle with the artists of Giant Robot once again during this art market at the Museum! Playing on the idea of the konbini or Japanese convenience store, which stocks everything from snacks to household supplies, this Art Konbini will feature art prints, zines, pins, and more! Some items from the exhibition artists, including pins and prints by Felicia Chiao and prints by Rain Szeto, are available exclusively from the JANM Store and can be purchased in advance.

Saturday, September 7, 2024
Cold Tofu, The Early Years 1981–1998
2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

Denice Kumagai-Hoy and Marilyn Tokuda, will discuss their new book, Cold Tofu, The Early Years 1981-1998: The World's First Asian American Improv Comedy Group, that is filled with photographs, a timeline, and quotes from former castmates, board members, and others. Hosted by Dom Magwili, the authors and former members of Cold Tofu Improv will be joined in conversation with performers Amy Hill, Geoff Rivas, and Joey Miyashima. Cold Tofu The Early Years 1981–1998 is available for purchase at the JANM Store.

Sunday, September 8, 2024
Pioneers to Prodigy: Pioneering Asian Dancers on Film
2 p.m.–4 p.m.
$20

Discover the power of dance with screenings of the documentaries Ten Times Better (2024, 30 minutes) and Michio Ito Pioneering Dancer-Choreographer (2012, 22 minutes) and a short film about the Music Center’s Spotlight Award Winner, Lex Ishimoto, followed by a Q&A with George Lee and Flower Drum Song co-star Nancy Kwan. Learn about the dancers who broke through racial discrimination and the dancers of today who are making important contributions to Asian Americans in the performing arts. Ten Times Better and Michio Ito Pioneering Dancer-Choreographer are presented by the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at the Japanese American National Museum and the Nikkei Women Legacy Association, Los Angeles.

Thursday, September 19, 2024
Asobi! at JANM: Paint by Numbers Flat Plants with Scout Regalia
7 p.m.–9 p.m.
$10

Make a Flat Plant with Makoto Mizutani and Benjamin Luddy of Scout Regalia! Participants will create a plant using intersecting plywood pieces and easy-to-paint guidelines for the ultimate no-maintenance houseplant. Enjoy cocktails and mocktails from Wolf & Crane, beer from Brewyard Beer Company, drinks from Sanzo, and light refreshments. All guests must be over the age of 21 with valid, physical photo ID. Workshops are suitable for all skill levels and all materials and technical assistance will be provided by JANM.

Saturday, October 12, 2024
Literature of Japanese American Incarceration with Frank Abe
2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

Frank Abe will discuss Literature of Japanese American Incarceration, an anthology that recovers and reframes the literature produced by former incarcerees and their descendants. From nearly seventy selections of fiction, poetry, essays, memoirs, and letters emerges a shared story of the struggle to retain personal integrity in the face of increasing dehumanization. The book is available for purchase at the JANM Store.

Friday, October 25, 2024
Giant Robot: Thirty Years of Defining Asian-American Pop Culture
7 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
$10

Celebrate the release of a new book that dives deep into the pop culture phenomenon of Giant Robot. Author and Giant Robot founder, Eric Nakamura, will be joined by special guests and contributors to talk about the zines, stores, exhibitions, and more that redefined what it means to be Asian American.

Saturday, November 2, 2024
Letters to Home: Art and Writing by LGBTQ+ Nikkei and Allies
2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

Letters to Home: Art and Writing by LGBTQ+ Nikkei and Allies is an anthology of essays, autobiographies, poems, portraits, and performances that are silent meditations with absent loved ones. These works respond to the important role of storytelling and personal reflection that appears to play in Japanese diasporic communities often engaging the very people to whom the authors most desperately wish to speak.

Saturday and Sunday, November 9 – 10, 2024
Two Day Workshop: Shibori and Indigo Explorations
11 a.m.–4 p.m. 
$135 (includes instructor’s materials fee)

Learn and enjoy all the creativity that indigo and shibori have to offer! Taught by Glennis Dolce, this workshop will explore a variety of traditional Japanese fabric dyeing techniques, including stitching, clamping, binding, pole wrapping, and yanagi (willow) shibori. This workshop is limited to fifteen participants and is open to all levels of knowledge. All tools, supplies, and materials are included with payment.

Sunday, December 1, 2024
Seattle Samurai: A Cartoonist’s Perspective of the Japanese American Experience
2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

The JANM Store will feature Seattle Samurai: A Cartoonist’s Perspective of the Japanese American Experience as part of the annual Museum Store Sunday. From 2012–2018, Sam Goto drew over 250 multi-paneled Seattle Tomodachi (“friend of Seattle”) comic strips for The North American Post. Design researcher and Goto’s daughter, Kelly, reflects on her father’s legacy as she brings his witty and wise perspective back to life in this collection. The book will be released on October 24, 2024. The December 1 Book Club is part of Museum Store Sunday, the annual event encouraging holiday shopping in museum stores nationwide.

Saturday and Sunday, December 7 – 8, 2024
Two Day Workshop: Shibori and Indigo Explorations
11 a.m.–4 p.m. 
$135 (includes instructor’s materials fee)

Learn and enjoy all the creativity that indigo and shibori have to offer! Taught by Glennis Dolce, this workshop will explore a variety of traditional Japanese fabric dyeing techniques, including stitching, clamping, binding, pole wrapping, and yanagi (willow) shibori. This workshop is limited to fifteen participants and is open to all levels of knowledge. All tools, supplies, and materials are included with payment.

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About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

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 center for civil rights, ensuring that the hard-fought lessons of the World War II incarceration are not forgotten. A Smithsonian Affiliate and one of America’s Cultural Treasures, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories. JANM is a center for the arts as well as history. It provides a voice for Japanese Americans and a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public in 1992, JANM has presented over 100 exhibitions onsite while traveling 40 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. JANM is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday–Sunday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and on Thursday from 12 p.m.–8 p.m. JANM is free every third Thursday of the month. On all other Thursdays, JANM is free from 5 p.m.–8 p.m. For more information, visit janm.org or follow us on social media @jamuseum.