JANM Drawing the Line

Activism and Japanese Americans? Yes it happened. Japanese American National Museum’s Drawing the Line captures this feeling in an exhibition as related to Pacific Standard Time. It’s a series and the text from the JANM site is as follows. “Drawing the Line is part of Pacific Standard Time. This unprecedented collaboration, initiated by the Getty, brings together more than sixty cultural institutions from across Southern California for six months beginning October 2011 to tell the story of the birth of the L.A. art scene.” Here’s some photos below. The first photo says it all. A jacket in the background filled with buttons, a guitar, and a photo of Nobuko Miyamoto and Chris Iijima, the subject of a Tad Nakamura film, Song for Ourselves.

Did you know a Japanese American, Larry Shinoda designed the 63 split window Corvette? The Monza and the Boss Mustangs? The version in the lobby is a specimen.

Ben Sakoguchi’s art is satirical obviously, but done well. It’s fruit box labels…

Gidra. So great. Imagine a publication that captures the essence of the Asian American movement in the 70s? It’s in this newspaper. Little known fact. I once went through each issue at the UCLA Asian American studies library. What was I looking for?

Not part of the exhibition above, is Patrick Nagatani’s works. The show ends in a few days.

Had to include this. For me it’s historical. That’s Lisa Sasaki from JANM, she’ll be working at the Oakland Museum of California. That’s Rene DeGuzman (Rene set up some type of GR event ages ago at the Yerba Buena in the 90s) and Carin Adams from Oakland Museum. Taking the photo is Clement from JANM. Guess what? This trip to the museum was all for a meeting. The Giant Robot Biennale will take place at JANM in 2012, and most likely at the Oakland Museum of California 2013.