New book features color photographs of life inside the Heart Mountain Relocation Center

From Sunday's Casper Star-Tribune: “Colors of Confinement: Rare Kodachrome Photographs of Japanese American Incarceration in World War II” was released in July by University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. It features 65 color images of Japanese Americans incarcerated at Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Northwest Wyoming, captured by internee Bill Manbo. It is edited by Eric L. Muller, a board member of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation and a Dan K. Moore Distinguished Professor in Jurisprudence and Ethics at the University of North Carolina. The book is available at national bookstores, at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center or at www.uncpress.unc.edu. Cover photo by Bill Manbo. Read the entire Casper Star-Tribune story by Kristy Gray at http://trib.com/news/local/state-and-regional/photo-book-sheds-new-light-on-life-in-wyoming-s/article_5a8deb68-1a35-5d61-b186-575232769c32.html

‘Post 9/11’ film, talk set Aug. 10 in Cody

‘Post 9/11’ film, talk set Friday in Cody - Cody Enterprise:

The Heart Mountain Interpretive Center is hosting a film showing and panel discussion at Wynona Thompson Auditorium on Friday.

The event is part of the two-day Pilgrimage Event for the center. The film begins at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public “Ken Watanabe’s America: Japanese Americans and Post 9/11 America” will be followed by a panel discussion with former congressman and Transporation Secretary Norman Mineta, retired senator Al Simpson, former head of the Japanese American Citizens League Floyd Mori, board chair of Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation Shirley Ann Higuchi, and vice-chair Doug Nelson. Board member Eric Muller will moderate the panel discussion.

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“People will have an opportunity to ask questions and interact with the panel because we’re not here to lecture people – we’re here to have a discussion and learn from one another,” he said.

Mineta was secretary of transportation under George W. Bush during the Sept. 11 attacks. Leger said Mineta’s experience as an internee at the Heart Mountain camp influenced his decisions during the difficult days after the attacks.

“He has many interesting things to say about that time and the pressures,” Leger said.

Jackson Hole Fire Festival June 14-20

Jackson Hole Fire Festival is a week-long Solstice party of cultural and arts events in Jackson Hole, celebrating the natural world of our valley, Japanese-style! With the high-powered rhythm of Japanese drumming, film screenings, family events, food and drink, a festival market and performances, our celebration culminates in the Japanese fire ceremony – a dazzling street fair lit by the blaze of torches.

FMI: http://www.jhfirefestival.org/

Sponsoring organization: Vista 360, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization connecting mountain cultures around the world.

Montana's Jamie Ford talks about his novel "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" Aug. 19 in Cody

Great Falls, Mont., author Jamie Ford will be speaking at the Park County Library in Cody at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19. Ford wrote the best-selling novel "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet."

On Thursday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Powell Branch Library, Wyoming historian Mike MacKey will also discuss "The Powell Tribune's Influence on Local Attitudes toward the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp."

Both reading events are free and open to the public. They are being held in conjunction with the grand opening of the Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center.

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_a8eea8d6-e921-5ef9-9530-3d02b0844672.html#ixzz1VJwtcFuQ

REMINDER: Folklorists Annie Hatch and Andrea Graham talk about WY ethnic traditions tonight at the library

One World, Wyoming Stories
When: Thursday, July 14, 7– 8:30 p.m.
Where: Laramie County Library Cheyenne (map)
Description: Annie Hatch, Wyoming Arts Council Folk & Traditional Arts Specialist, and Andrea Graham, Folklorist with the University of Wyoming American Studies Program, will share stories about a variety of ethnic traditions in Wyoming. They’ll also encourage participants to share their own stories. This is held in conjunction with the “One World, Wyoming Stories,” exhibit in the library through August 16. (Adults, Sunflower Room, 3rd floor)

BBHC exhibit of arts & crafts from Heart Mtn. Internment Camp opens June 1

View of Heart Mountain Relocation Center barracks, 1942. Photo by Jack Richard. Jack Richard Collection. 

Beauty Behind Barbed Wire: Arts and Crafts from the  Heart Mountain Internment Camp

June 1-September 6, 2011, Cody Firearms Museum Breezeway, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody

A small exhibit showcasing the craftsmanship of the Japanese-American internees confined at the Heart Mountain Internment Camp during the years 1942-1945 will be on display at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center during this 2011 summer. The exhibit will feature twenty-four arts and crafts objects on loan to the Historical Center from the Heart Mountain, Wyoming Foundation along with another three items from other lenders. Wood carvings, jewelry, needlework, oil paintings, and a doll are among the artifacts in the exhibit.

Through this exhibit the Historical Center aims to call the attention of its visitors to the opening of the Interpretive Learning Center at Heart Mountain on August 20, as well as to honor the artisans who made these incredible pieces. The skill and artistry involved in crafting these objects is outstanding, and the exhibit is certain to be informative and enlightening.

Japan-America Society of Wyoming sponsors Children's Day Celebration April 30 in Laramie

The Japan-America Society of Wyoming announces its fourth annual Children’s Day Celebration on Saturday, April 30, 2-3:30 p.m. at the Albany County Public Library, 310 S. Eighth St., Laramie. Free admission.

Featuring Japanese folk tales, Japanese songs, Origami (paper folding of a Kabuto (helmet), Shodo (Japanese calligraphy), and tasting Japanese foods (cookies and nori, etc).

For more information click here or call 307-721-2580.

UPDATE: Handmade for Japan eBay auction

Wyomingarts has been tracking arts-oriented fund-raisers for the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. One Cheyenne artist and teacher, Connie Kazuko Norman, will be part of a Handmade for Japan auction on eBay. Here is the most recent information from Connie:

I sure many of have already heard of Handmade For Japan.  It is the brainchild of Ayumi Horie, and her friends, Ai Kanazawa Cheung and Kathryn Pombriant Manzella.  Handmade For Japan is an on-line benefit auction for the Japanese victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.  I am honored to be one of the artists that are contributing to the cause.  As many of you know that I am half Japanese and I have many relatives that live in Tokyo.  I have been lucky enough to have study ceramics in Japan as well.  My Japanese heritage has always very important to me. The people of Japan really need help with disaster relief.

The auction will be held next Thursday, March 24th, 8pm EST to Sunday, March 27th, 8pm EST on eBay and they will have assured bids so check in early. Right now Handmade For Japan has a public Facebook page where a previewing of items before the auction. Even if you're not on Facebook, you can see the items. Please help us get the word out so that we can reach our goal of raising more than $25,000. 100% of the proceeds will be given to Global Giving’s Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

The collection has grown to over 90 artists, many with well-known and respected names, and you will be astonished how many wonderful pieces of art that has been donated for the cause. 

Ayumi and her friends have been working tirelessly toward this event.  I have been amazed at every update.  Thank you guys for all your hard work!

Here are some of the media coverage we got in the last week, The New York Times, and American Craft Magazine.

"Festival of Japan" Oct. 9 in Laramie

The Japan-America Society of Wyoming (JASWY) will present its fifth annual “Festival of Japan” from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 9, 2010, in the cafeteria (from noon to 1:50 p.m.) and in the auditorium (from 2-4:30 p.m.) of Laramie High School, 1275 N 11th St., Laramie. Admission is free.

FMI: 307-721-4420.

Performing on stage will be Bunraku, a traditional Japanese puppet theater from Missouri, and Mirai Daiko, a taiko drumming group from Denver.

Roripaughs lead session about Heart Mountain during Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference

Lee Ann Roripaugh

At the Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference June 4-6 in Cody, there will be a session about the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp. During World War II, the camp was home to more than 10,000 Japanese-Americans relocated from the West Coast. The camp is now a National Historical Site and an interpretive center is under construction.

The Heart Mountain session will be conducted by Wyoming Poet Laureate Emeritus Robert Roripaugh, his wife Yoshiko and their daughter, Lee Ann, a Laramie native who now teaches creative writing at the University of South Dakota. Lee Ann will read selections from her award-winning poetry book, "Beyond Heart Mountain."

This presentation will be held on Friday, June 4, 7-8 p.m., at the Holiday Inn at the Buffalo Bill Resort in Cody. A book signing will follow. Both events are free and open to the public.

FMI: http://www.wyowriters.org/; http://www.heartmountain.us/

Award-winning filmmaker creating short film for Heart Mountain Interpretive Center

The Heart Mountain Internment Camp between Cody and Powell will be the among the first of these World War II sites to have its own interpretive center. Construction on the exterior is nearing completion. Work during the next year will focus on the interior.

The Heart Mountain Foundation has received a series of grants ever since the camps were designated National Historic Sites by the National Park Service. Wyoming Writers, Inc., will conduct a session about Heart Mountain as part of its annual conference June 4-6 in Cody. It will feature Laramie native Lee Ann Roripaugh, author of the award-winning book of poetry "Beyond Heart Mountain;" her father, Bob Roripaugh, poet, novelist and Wyoming Poet Laureate Emeritus; and his wife Yoshiko, a native of Japan. The presentation will be held 7-8 p.m. on Friday, June 4, at the Cody Holiday Inn. This session is free and open to the public (find info on conference registration at WWInc web site).

Meanwhile, good news keeps coming in for the Heart Mountain Foundation. Here's a Billings Gazette story by Ruffin Prevost:

An award-winning filmmaker with a personal connection to Heart Mountain is creating a short film to be shown at a new museum that will open next year at the site of the historic internment camp.

Steven Okazaki (shown in photo), 58, whose father was among the 11,000 internees at Heart Mountain, won an Academy Award for his 1990 documentary, “Days of Waiting.”

The film tells the story of Estelle Ishigo, a Caucasian woman who voluntarily joined her Japanese-American husband, Arthur Ishigo, in a detention camp in California and, later, at Heart Mountain. Ishigo, an artist, documented camp life in drawings and photographs, many of which Okazaki used in “Days of Waiting.”

“We’re very excited about his creativity and ability to take this subject, which is quite complex, and bring it to life for visitors,” said Dave Reetz, executive director of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation.

The nonprofit group has raised $3.5 million toward a goal of $5.3 million for an 11,000-square-foot interpretive learning center under construction at the site of the former camp.

Heart Mountain was one of 10 camps across the country where 110,000 Japanese-Americans were held during World War II. It will be the second site with a museum. The National Park Service manages an interpretive site at Manzanar, on the eastern side of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Born in Los Angeles, Okazaki now lives in San Francisco. He won an Emmy award in 2008 for “White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” He also has earned Oscar nominations for three other films, including “Unfinished Business.” That documentary tells the stories of three men seeking to overturn their convictions 40 years after they refused a government order to enter internment camps like Heart Mountain.

Okazaki’s new film will be about 10 minutes long, and will introduce visitors to the broad range of social issues and historical background covered at the Heart Mountain center, Reetz said.

Reetz and other foundation members have been working with Okazaki to develop key points to be covered in the film, and to integrate it with exhibits being designed by Split Rock Studios. The Minnesota-based firm has developed installations for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Los Angeles, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Visitor Center in Missoula and more than 100 other sites.

Renwick exhibits arts & crafts from Heart Mountain and other WWII internment camps

This painting was by an unidentified artist interned at Heart Mountain Internment Camp in Park County, Wyoming, during World War II. "Camp Scene," wood and paint (note Heart Mountain in background). Collection of the Japanese American Museum of San José, From "Art of Gaman" by Delphine Hirasuna, ©2005, Ten Speed Press. Terry Heffernan photo.

It is one of the works in "The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japane-American Internment Camps, 1942-1946," showing now at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. The exhibit runs through Jan. 30, 2011.

From the Smithsonian American Art Museum catalog:

Arts and crafts became essential for simple creature comforts and emotional survival. These objects—tools, teapots, furniture, toys and games, musical instruments, pendants and pins, purses and ornamental displays—are physical manifestations of the art of gaman, a Japanese word that means "to bear the seemingly unbearable with dignity and patience."

The exhibition is organized by San Francisco-based author and guest curator Delphine Hirasuna, and is based on her 2005 book The Art of Gaman, published by Ten Speed Press.

The exhibition is presented under the honorary patronage of The Honorable Norman Y. Mineta. Mr. Mineta, a former Congressman, Secretary of Transportation, and Regent of the Smithsonian, was interned as a child at Heart Mountain.

FMI: Read recent posts on the museum’s blog, Eye Level

Japan Arts Day in Casper features Akemi Iwase

"Japan Arts Day" features Akemi Iwase on Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m., in the John F. Welsh Auditorium at Natrona County High School in Casper. This event is free and open to the public.

Here's more info from the ARTCORE web site:

Akemi began composing music at age 12, and at age 16, she created many original songs with Shuji Someno, a poet. During a folk song boom, she performed the original songs, and when she was 18, she formed a jazz band and performed at a nightclub in Ginza, Tokyo and in jazz cafes.


She formed a rock'n'roll Band, the Foxy Lady, with Keiko Watanabe. At age 20, Akemi moved to the U.S.A. with great aspirations. She lived in New York and Hawaii and got married. She performed piano and sang in the Queen Kapiolani Hotel. In 1974, she moved to California where she accompanied a magician and gave concerts. Inspired by traditional Nairobi music by Hamza El Din, she started arranging Japanese traditional folk songs, Minyo. While raising two children, she held many concerts with Shakuhachi, Koto, Cello, Tabla, and Sitar players in Northern California, as well as with members of the San Francisco Taiko Dojo.

Moving to Los Angeles in 1981, she composed and performed "Peace Song" for the event of the "Peace Day" arranged by Governor Brown. This song was often heard on KPFK Radio. She performed Jazzy Japanese Minyo and Latin music regularly at the "Comeback Inn," a Jazz Live Club.
In 1992, she moved to Colorado and managed the Westminster Dinner Theater and acted as a stage producer, while she held her own concerts.

She founded Moon Blossom Records and formed a music band, the Tokyo Tribe.Presented by The Consulate General of Japan in Denver in collaboration with Honorary Consul General Mariko T. Miller, ARTCORE and Natrona County School District No. 1

Heart Mountain Interpretive Center collects art and artifacts from former internees

From an article by Ruffin Prevost in the Billings Gazette (via the Casper Star-Tribune): A piece of scrap wood has been burned in fine detail to depict a scene of camp barracks and the Heart Mountain in the background. The artwork, created by a former internee, is one of many artifacts donated Saturday by volunteers working to expand the historical archives for a museum being built at the site of the former internment camp in Park County, Wyo. (Ruffin Prevost/The Billings Gazette). Read entire story in Sunday's Casper S-T at http://www.casperstartribune.com/articles/2009/08/17/news/wyoming/01209af2958932c98725761400007f95.txt

Construction update on Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center

Architectural plans for Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center in Park County (above) and (below) construction continues at the center (photo by Pat Honstain).

Construction is coming along for the Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center in Park County (see photo above). The grand opening of the learning center, located on the site of the World War II Heart Mountain Relocation Camp, is scheduled for June 2010. You can mark the progress of construction as you drive Wyoming Hwy. 14 between Cody and Powell in Park County.

Here's a description of the project from the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation web site:

The ILC will provide an overview of the wartime relocation of Japanese Americans, including the background history of Asian prejudice in America and the factors leading to the enforced confinement of West Coast Japanese Americans. Special emphasis will be given to constitutional issues, civil liberties and rights, diversity education and training and ethnic understanding. The Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center will also provide links and virtual connections to other historical sites, research centers, and collections dealing with related issues.

Historic events specific to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center will be the central focus of the ILC’s content. Camp life, internee responses to relocation, debates over military service and the draft, the relationships between the internees and their Wyoming neighbors, the camp’s contribution to the area’s agricultural economy, the sacrifices of Heart Mountain servicemen, and the postwar experience of the internees will all be brought to life in the Learning Center’s multi-media exhibits.

Japanese Film Fest in Cheyenne & Laramie

The Japan-America Society of Wyoming (JASWY) will hold its third Japanese Film Festival at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne on Feb.28 and at the University of Wyoming in Laramie on March 7. Free Admission.

On Saturday, Feb. 28, in CCI Building, Room 120, at LCCC: "Hula Girls" (see photo), 1:30 p.m. "Always: Sunset on 3rd Street," 7 p.m.

On Saturday, March 7, at UW, Classroom Building Room 133, Laramie, "Always: Sunset on 3rd Street 2" (the sequel), 1:30 p.m.; "Hula Girls," 7 p.m.

FMI: http://www.jaswy.org/press.shtml

New children's book by Colo. author explores plight of "The No-No Boys"

The following Dec. 7 event is happening just down I-25 in Fort Collins, Colo. Bailiwick Press in Fort Collins has published a new book by Teresa Funke called "The No-No Boys." It's a children's book about the Japanese-American young men in the West's World War II internment camps who said "no" to serving in the U.S. armed forces. As you probably know, the Heart Mountain camp was located in Park County, Wyoming, and Camp Amache was located in southeastern Colorado.

Here's the info from a press release:

Bring your family and friends to a fun party for our new book, "The No-No Boys." We'll have refreshments, drawings for free books, displays on WWII and the Japanese internment camps, hands-on activities for kids, a reading and book-signing.

Buy any Teresa Funke book on the day of the party and receive a free latté at the Reader's Cove coffee shop!

All the activities happen on Sunday, December 7, which is Pearl Harbor Day, noon-4 p.m. Teresa will give a short talk about the internment camps and read an excerpt at 1 p.m. at the Reader's Cove bookstore, 1001 E. Harmony Road, Fort Collins.

Questions? E-mail Teresa: teresa@bailiwickpress.com.

Japan Arts Day Sept. 20 in Casper

The "Japan Arts Day" celebration will be held on Saturday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m. in the John F. Welsh Auditorium at Natrona County High School. Admission is free.

The event will feature Taiko and Koto music performed by Toni. Y. Yagami, Lance B. Acker, and Jungo Shigeta (shown in photo)

Sponsored by The Consulate General of Japan in Denver, ARTCORE and Natrona County School District No. 1.

Wyomingarts suggests that you take in the Equality State Book Festival in Casper on Saturday, Sept. 20, and stay for the Taiko music in the evening.

"Festival of Cultures" at Sheridan College

Sheridan College will celebrate a "Festival of Cultures" on Monday, April 21, and Thursday, April 24. The festivities will begin on Monday with a lecture highlighting global education and then continue on Thursday with a Native American dance and Japanese Taiko drum performance.

On April 21, Everett McGlothin, executive director for the Association for the Advancement of International Education, will talk about the opportunities and impacts of global education. McGlothin has lived and worked abroad for twelve years and has traveled extensively. The lecture will take place from 7-8 p.m., in the CTEL Presentation Hall at Sheridan College. A Q&A session will follow his presentation.

On April 24, “Drumbeats: Celebrating Diversity,” kicks off with a Native American Dance/Drum performance at 7 p.m. in the college's Golden Dome. Native American performers from Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana will take the stage and showcase a variety dances, including the Pow Wow dance. At 8:15 p.m., One World Taiko from Seattle will put on a presentation of contemporary Japanese drumming. Each performance will feature special audience participation activities. Both events are free and open to the public.

Japanese Film Festival in Laramie April 19

The Japan-America Society of Wyoming (JASWY) will hold its second Japanese Film Festival in Classroom Building Room 133 at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, from 1:30-3:50 p.m., and 7-9 p.m.. on Saturday, April 19. Doors will open 20 minutes before show time. Free admission.

The movie schedule is as follows:

Always: Sunset at 3-chome: April 19 (Sat.) 1:30 p.m. (2005), family movie, 133 minutes, drama. Set in Tokyo in 1958, this film depicts human dramas of downtown residents who lived at the time of the construction of the Tokyo Tower — a symbol of Japan’s economic growth in the mid-20th century.

Zatoichi: April 19 (Sat.), 7 p.m., 2003, rated R, 119 minutes (Samurai movie). A blind masseur and sword master helps two youngsters avenge their parents at a gang-infested local town of pre-modern Japan. (Caution: This movie contains some graphic scenes of violence.)

The Japanese Film Festival is co-sponsored by the Modern & Classical Languages Dept., English Dept., Honors Program, and Japan Culture Club at the University of Wyoming.

FMI: http://www.jaswy.org/