A new exhibit is coming to the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, inviting guests to reflect on American history through the eyes of third-generation Japanese American artists.
The exhibit, “Resilience–A Sansei Sense of Legacy,” will be on display from July 1 through Aug. 30, showcasing the works of eight artists whose personal and cultural identities are deeply entwined with the aftermath of Executive Order 9066. The order forced the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, causing emotional ripples across generations and a poor reintegration into society.
Japanese Americans used the phrase “Shikata ga nai,” meaning “it cannot be helped, and the word “gaman,” which means “to persevere and stay silent,” to speak to their resilience against the losses they incurred.
Artists in the exhibition include: Kristine Aono, Reiko Fujii, Wendy Maruyama, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Tom Nakashima, Roger Shimomura, Judy Shintani, and Jerry Takigawa.
The exhibit will be open from July 1 through Aug. 30 and can be viewed with general admission.
