RARE MINE OKUBO DRAWINGS AVAILABLE ON JANM.ORG

The Japanese American National Museum announced today that it has completed the conservation, cataloguing, and digitization of 197 pen and ink drawings by artist Mine Okubo, which now may be viewed on the JANM’s website.

Okubo was an artist, writer, and social activist who created drawings and sketches of her life while at Tanforan assembly center in San Bruno, California and Topaz concentration camp in Utah during World War II. She received numerous awards, including the American Book Award in 1984 and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991 from the Women’s Caucus for Art. In 2007, JANM was bequeathed a collection of 197 pen and ink drawings, all originals and signed by Okubo representing more than half of her extant work from the World War II concentration camp period. These drawings, coupled with her commentary, serve as the basis for her renowned book, Citizen 13660, which was printed in 1946 and was the first personal account published on the camp experience.

This collection of pen and ink drawings from Okubo had not been exhibited or made readily available to researchers in the past because it required conservation. Through a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), JANM’s Collections Management and Access staff prepared and catalogued all 197 drawings. “A time intensive and multi-step process was involved,” said JANM’s Digital Asset & Research Coordinator, Jane Nakasako. “Funding from the NEH grant played a major role in allowing us to increase awareness of this important period in American history, making it readily accessible to a larger audience.”

To view Okubo’s collection, please visit http://www.janm.org/collections/mine-okubo-collection/.

The Japanese American National Museum is dedicated to fostering greater understanding and appreciation for America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by preserving and telling the stories of Americans of Japanese ancestry. Since its incorporation in 1985, JANM has grown into an internationally recognized institution, presenting award-winning art and history exhibitions, groundbreaking traveling shows, educational public programs, innovative video documentaries and cutting-edge curriculum guides. JANM is one of only 15 institutions in Southern California that has received accreditation from the Association of American Museums and in 2010, received the prestigious National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), only the second California museum to be so recognized.