Artists spotlight famous Japanese internment camp
By T. Esperas
How does it feel to live in a nation that views you as the enemy? On Nov. 3, San Jose Museum of Art will host a gallery talk and interactive art demonstration that will address this issue of racial tension, which is fueled during times of international conflict.
The gallery talk will feature artists Tamiko Thiel and Zara Houshmand and their installation "Beyond Manzanar." Tamiko Thiel is an American new media artist of Japanese and German decent. Zara Houshmand is an Iranian-American writer, theater director, and multimedia artist whose work focuses on cross-cultural issues. "Beyond Manzanar" is a three-D installation piece that uses technology to cast the viewer in the role of an internee inside a Japanese Internment camp.
Manzanar is the name given to a Japanese Internment camp erected in California during World War II. American citizens of Japanese decent were forced to abandon their homes and businesses and move to these camps as fears of espionage heightened during the war. In retrospect, it becomes obvious that anti-Japanese sentiment was the motivation behind internment camps, rather than the real threat of Japanese spies in America.
The San Jose Mercury News reported that President Bush has reduced the number of refugees allowed in to the U.S. to 70,000. However, 20,000 of those slots are designated as "unallocated reserve," which is to be used on a must need basis. A decade ago, the number of refugees allowed in the U.S peaked at 131,000.
Artists Thiel and Houshmand use "Beyond Manzanar" to contrast the experiences of Japanese-Americans during World War II and the more contemporary situations of Iranian Americans in their attempts to achieve the American dream. Thiel and Houshmand will be accompanied by additional guests who will provide both historical and legal perspectives on the issues surrounding the Japanese American internment and the current civil-rights debates following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
In addition to the gallery talk, a film by Dave Tatsuno entitled "Topaz" will be shown. Tatsuno is a resident of San Jose. "Topaz" was produced while he lived in the Topaz, Utah internment camp from 1943 to 1945.
"Beyond Manzanar" is one of many works included in San Jose Museum of Art's "Collection Highlights" exhibit, which opens Nov. 2. This is the first time the museum will exhibit their permanent collection. The exhibition features works in a variety of mediums and subject matter. David Best, Manuel Ocampo and Inez Storer are among the artists featured in the exhibit.
The free Interactive Gallery Talk and Demonstration About Japanese Internment Experiece will be on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 3 p.m. in the San Jose Museum of Art.