JANM PRESENTS OPPORTUNITIES TO GO BENEATH THE SURFACE OF "PERSEVERANCE"

The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) has scheduled two gallery talks, a film-related lecture, and an artist Q-and-A in conjunction with its current exhibition, Perseverance: Japanese Tattoo Tradition in a Modern World. A groundbreaking show exploring the often under-appreciated history of Japanese tattoo art and its influence on contemporary Western and Japanese tattoo culture, Perseverance welcomed hundreds of eager visitors during its opening weekend, generating record museum store sales. The exhibition remains on view through September 14.

Gallery talks with curator Takahiro Kitamura and photographer and exhibition designer Kip Fulbeck will take place on Saturday, June 21, at 11:30 a.m., and Saturday, August 2, at 11:30 a.m., offering invaluable insight into the creation of the exhibition. Kitamura, a highly-accomplished tattoo artist himself, and Fulbeck, whose photography work was featured in two prior JANM exhibitions, will discuss their collaboration and elaborate on their assertion that Japanese tattoo art is in fact fine art. These unique opportunities are each limited to 30 participants.

On August 2, at 2 p.m., featured tattoo artist Junii will screen clips from and give a lecture on the tattoos depicted in “Bakuchi-uchi: Ippiki Ryu” (“The Dragon Tattoo”), a classic 1967 yakuza film. This event is presented as part of the Tateuchi Public Program Series, a partnership between JANM and the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation dedicated to exploring the connections between Japan and the U.S. in the contexts of politics, art, music, and culture.

Fulbeck, Kitamura, tattoo artists Chris Horishiki Brand and Brian Kaneko, and Chaz Bojorquez, the artist who designed the Perseverance title lettering, will participate in a Q-and-A session on Saturday, August 23, at 2 p.m. Attendees will be able to pose questions about the exhibition, tattoo traditions, and artwork created by these exhibition contributors.

To reserve space at these programs, please send an email to rsvp@janm.org or call 213.625.0414. The August 2 film lecture is free. The gallery talks and Q-and-A are included in the price of museum admission (free for museum members).

Perseverance also will be celebrated during JANM’s July Target Free Family Saturday. Tattoo and printmaking-inspired activities will be presented on July 12, with admission free all day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional details will be posted at janm.org in the weeks to come.

NOW ON VIEW AT JANM:

Colors of Confinement: Rare Kodachrome Photographs of Japanese American Incarceration in World War II
Through August 31, 2014
Colors of Confinement presents 18 rare Kodachrome photographs taken in 1943 and 1944 by Bill Manbo during his incarceration at the Heart Mountain concentration camp in Wyoming. These vivid and surprising color photos show Japanese Americans engaged in activities like baseball, ice skating, and celebrating Bon Odori with a stark prison landscape visible behind them.

Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game
Through September 14, 2014
From their original roots in Brooklyn to today’s home in Los Angeles, the Dodgers are trailblazers in the world of sports, on and off the field. Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game explores the team’s storied past through four players and a Hall of Fame manager, each of whom made history in his own right: Jackie Robinson, Fernando Valenzuela, Chan Ho Park, Hideo Nomo, and Tommy Lasorda.

Perseverance: Japanese Tattoo Tradition in a Modern World
Through September 14, 2014
This exhibition of photographs by Kip Fulbeck explores the master craftsmanship and ongoing influence of traditional Japanese tattooing. With a unique display designed by Fulbeck to reference the craft’s roots in ukiyo-e and other Japanese art forms, the exhibition showcases both the splendor and the intricacy of modern tattooing. Curated by master tattoo artist and author Takahiro Kitamura, the exhibition presents the work of seven internationally-acclaimed Japanese-style tattoo artists: Horishiki (Chris Brand), Horitaka, Horitomo, Junii, Miyazo, Shige, and Yokohama Horiken.

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.

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. 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. Closed Mondays, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For more information visit janm.org or call 213.625.0414.