Current Exhibition

Resilience—A Sansei Sense of Legacy

October 14 - December 14, 2025 

In 1942, in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law Executive Order 9066. The law ordered the forced imprisonment of all Japanese Americans living on the west coast of the United States, which had the second largest population of Japanese people living outside of Japan.

Told from the point of view of Sansei (third generation) Japanese Americans, Resilience—A Sansei Sense of Legacy is an exhibition of eight artists whose work reflects on the effect of EO9066 as it resonated from generation to generation. While several of the artists in Resilience employ traditional Japanese methods in the construction of their work—Lydia Nakashima Degarrod’s use of boro stitching on her works on paper; Judy Shintani’s kimono cutouts honored in ceramic vessels—others use iconography relating to Japanese culture as a jumping- off point for personal explorations on the subject of the incarceration camps—Reiko Fuji’s photographs-as-kimono; Wendy Maruyama’s columns of replicated camp ID tags. Each in their own way, the artists in this exhibition express moments of deeply felt pain and reluctant acceptance, emotions which were often withheld by their elders.

Exhibition artists are: Kristine Aono, Reiki Fuji, Wendy Maruyama, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Tom Nakashima, Roger Shimomura, Judy Shintani, and Jerry Takigawa.

Co-curated by artist Jerry Takigawa and Gail Enns, Resilience was conceived to serve as a catalyst to cultivate social dialogue and change around the issues of racism, hysteria, and economic exploitation still alive in America today. The eight artists featured in Resilience were selected because of their personal connection to the subject matter, their work is well respected within the Japanese American community as well as within the art world, and due to their activism on the subject of incarceration camps.

Takigawa and Enns explain, “The Sansei generation is perhaps the last generation of Japanese American artists that can be directly connected to the WWII American concentration camp experience—making their expression particularly significant in clarity of emotion. These artists lived through the years of “gaman” or silence about the camps. That silence made a deep impression on the artists selected for Resilience.”

Gallery Talk and Reception

“Creative Resilience.” Saturday, November 1, 2-4pm

In conjunction with the contemporary art exhibition, “Resilience–A Sansei Sense of Legacy,” enjoy an afternoon of creativity with live music performed by guitarist Pat Temple and vocalist Beth Powers. “Resilience” features work by artists of Japanese descent whose families were imprisoned during World War II. As an expression of perseverance and hope, visitors can make a daruma-themed ornament to take home. Supplies provided. This activity is suitable for all ages and skill levels.

“Resilience and Memory.” Monday, November 17, 6-8pm

Misericordia University Professor Allan Austin, author of “From Concentration Camp to Campus: Japanese American Students and World War II” will guide attendees through the difficult history resulting from Executive Order 9066, which ordered the forced imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. This session will conclude with a collage activity that promises to reflect on the past and resolve to create a better future. Led by Gallery Director Lalaine Little.

About ExhibitsUSA

This exhibition is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance. ExhibitsUSA sends more than twenty-five exhibitions on tour to over 100 small- and mid-sized communities every year. These exhibitions create access to an array of arts and humanities experiences, nurture the understanding of diverse cultures and art forms, and encourage the expanding depth and breadth of cultural life in local communities. For more about ExhibitsUSA, email MoreArt@maaa.org or visit www.eusa.org.

About Mid-America Arts Alliance

Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) strengthens and supports artists, cultural organizations, and communities throughout our region and beyond. Additional information about M-AAA is available at www.maaa.org.

About the Curators

Gail Enns is the director of the nonprofit arts management organization Celadon Arts (founded 1998, Monterey, CA). Evidenced most recently by Resilience, Enns' curatorial focus throughout her 30-year career has included the interaction between art, community, and some of the more challenging aspects of the human condition.

Jerry Takigawa is an independent photographer, designer, writer, and the co-founder of the annual PIE (Photography + Ideas + Experience) workshop series held at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA. A third generation Japanese American, Takigawa is a proponent of design as a tool for effecting radical shifts in human thought.