Miné Okubo: Preserving the Views from Within

FAIN: PW-50638-10

Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA 90012-3911)
Lisa Sasaki (Project Director: July 2009 to April 2012)
Clement Hanami (Project Director: April 2012 to February 2013)

The conservation, cataloging, and digitization of 197 pen and ink drawings by artist Miné Okubo documenting life within the World War II Japanese internment camps.

In 2007, the National Museum was bequeathed 197 pen and ink drawings, all originals and signed by the late Japanese American writer, artist and activist Mine Okubo. This artwork, created by Okubo during her imprisonment in the World War II Japanese American assembly centers and concentration camps, serve as a visual diary of camp life. These drawings, coupled with her commentary, serve as the basis for her renowned book, Citizen 13660, which was published in 1946 and remains the first personal account of the camp experience. The main goals of the Project are as follows: 1) Preserve, catalogue and digitize this rare collection in order to increase its accessibility to a broad and diverse audience; 2) Make the collection available online through the National Museum's websites, thus raising awareness of a critical period in American history; and 3) Work within professional museum standards to ensure best collections care practices.