PROJECT OVERVIEW

Why did the Japanese American National Museum initiate this project?
The Japanese American National Museum has been working to become a new kind of museum—one that actively involves the people and communities it serves as equal partners. From its inception the National Museum has been, and continues to be community-based—conceived of, strongly supported by, and deeply connected to the Japanese American community. The Boyle Heights Project is one facet of the National Museum's efforts and extends across disciplinary, generational, ethnic, and religious lines.

The International Institute of Los Angeles, The Jewish Historical Society of Southern California, Self-Help Graphics, Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School and an advisory group of scholars, community experts, and the Japanese American National Museum are partners in this interdisciplinary initiative that encompasses new research, an exhibition, and an extensive series of public programs.


Project Vision Statement
The entire Boyle Heights Project creates opportunities for people of diverse ethnic and generational backgrounds to learn about one another's experiences and histories, recognize how these converge or diverge, and consider their lives in contexts that extend beyond their immediate neighborhood, ethnic or social groups. The hope is that such learning processes and exchanges will provide ideas and insights for better understanding the present and the changes that affect all communities. By understanding and discussing the processes of neighborhood change and continuity—the causes and consequences on people's everyday lives—we can thoughtfully contextualize and therefore more meaningfully address the neighborhood's current conditions and problems.

A central part of this initiative is the development of sustainable partnerships. The Japanese American National Museum hopes that the efforts started in the Boyle Heights Project will continue as part of the activities of all the partnering organizations. Above all, we hope that the partnership experience will promote lasting intercultural relations and linkages between participating organizations and communities. We expect that by working together, the partners will reinforce each other's involvement in Boyle Heights and that the expertise and information shared will inform how each develops future programs and projects.


Project Goals

Project Components