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Closed for Renovations

JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation and will reopen in late 2026. While the museum and store are closed, join us for programs and events on our Little Tokyo campus, throughout Southern California, and beyond. 

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  • Japanese and American Cultural Aspects of the Japanese American Experience. Lecture by Professor Art Sakamoto

    Jul 28, 2012

    The cultural heritages of Japan and the U.S. are in many ways very different. Japanese society has traditionally emphasized collectivism while American society has long promoted individualism. Being socially situated in the middle of two contrasting societal traditions, Japanese Americans often encounter a great deal of cultural conflict in their personal lives. This lecture will explore these issues using illustrati...

  • "Becoming American? The Art and Identity Crisis of Yasuo Kuniyoshi" by Shipu Wang

    Sep 24, 2011

    "A few short days has changed my status in this country, although I myself have not changed at all." On December 8, 1941, artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi (1889-1953) awoke to find himself branded an "enemy alien" by the U.S. government in the aftermath of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. The historical crisis forced Kuniyoshi, an émigré Japanese with a distinguished career in American art, to rethink his pictorial strategie...

  • Summer Film Festival: "Harsh Canvas: The Art and Life of Henry Sugimoto"

    Jun 18, 2009 - Jun 28, 2009

    To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center, the National Museum will continuously screen Harsh Canvas: The Art and Life of Henry Sugimoto. From Japan to California, on to Paris, then to concentration camps in Arkansas that transformed his art forever and finally to New York, Henry Sugimoto (1900-1990) pursued what he called, “the path of an artist.” Sugimoto’s recently translat...

  • Bringing the Circle Together: A Native American Film Series -- Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance

    Jun 19, 2008

    Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki) exposes the armed confrontation between Mohawks and Canadian government during the 1990 standoff in Kanehsatake near the village of Oka in Quebec. Her portrait of the resistance focuses on the human dimension of the conflict, exploring their conviction and communal spirit that enabled them to stand firm. Music by Jamie Coon (Creek/Seminole) to open the ...

  • Opening of the exhibition "Landscaping America: Beyond the Japanese Garden"

    Jun 17, 2007

    Gardens were among the first forms of Japanese culture to gain popularity in the United States. Since their introduction to the American public at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Japanese-style gardens have proliferated across the country. Landscaping America reveals the personal stories, historical journeys, communities, and creativity that underlie the surface of the "Japanese garden." This multi...

  • Members Dessert Reception for opening of Ansel Adams at Manzanar

    Nov 12, 2006

    A dessert reception for current National Museum Members celebrating the opening of Ansel Adams at Manzanar. Will begin following the Opening Public Program with Dr. Anne Hammond. Become a member!

  • Japanese American National Museum’s History of Collaborations, Breakthroughs, Compiled Into New Book, “Common Ground”

    May 15, 2005

    The Japanese American National Museum, which was incorporated as an institution 20 years ago, has compiled a group of essays on its history, major projects and collaborations into a book, Common Ground: The Japanese American National Museum and the Culture of Collaborations. In 1985, the National Museum had no permanent site nor endowment and only one employee. Thanks to a partnership between a group of Little Tok...

  • "Peaceful Painter Hisako Hibi: Memoirs of an Issei Woman Artist"

    Dec 05, 2004

    Ibuki Hibi Lee compiled a selection of her mother's journal notes and art, which offer an insight into the daily life of a woman who would not abandon her art or betray her spirit. Kristine Kim, director of Program Initiatives, will talk about Hisako Hibi's life. From her days as an art student in Japan, to her role as an art instructor in the Topaz Concentration camp, and finally as a celebrated painter in San Franc...

  • Members Only: Free admission to Autry Museum of Western Heritage

    Aug 12, 2000

    Free admission to the Autry Museum of Western Heritage to celebrate the opening of On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience. A painting from the Japanese American National Museum’s collection by issei artist Hideo Date will be on display in the exhibition. Show your Japanese American National Museum membership card for free admission and members ticket price on public programs. The Autry Museum is located i...

  • Wartime Incarceration and the Life Course of Nisei Families

    Nov 21, 1998

    Ellis Island Immigration Museum Noted sociologist Dr. Setsuko Matsunaga Nishi will discuss her study on the long-term social and psychological effects of wartime incarceration on Japanese Americans. Funded by The Nathan Cummings Foundation.