Common Ground: The Japanese American National Museum and the Culture of Collaborations

Preface

PREFACE vii IN COMMON GROUND: The Japanese American National Museum and the Culture of Collaborations we share with the reader the evolving history of the Japanese American National Museum (National Museum) in Los Angeles as told by curators, scholars , designers, community activists, educators, and members of affiliated institutions who delve into the process of engaging and collaborating with communities in documenting, interpreting, presenting, and sharing their histories and experiences . Only a small sampling of projects is represented here among the ambitious slate of exhibitions, public programs, and media, research, and oral history projects that have informed and enriched the definitions and narratives of American history , art, and culture. The main title of this volume is borrowed from the museum’s core exhibition Common Ground: The Heart of Community. The exhibition and this book share more in common than the title. The two productions address an overarching theme that speaks to the process of community building in the past and for future Preface PREFACE viii generations. The words culture and collaborations in our subtitle deserve special comment, since they are integrally linked to the process of community building addressed by individual contributors to this anthology. The word culture signifies the practices and processes developed cooperatively, by communities, over a period of time. At the same time, it is evident that cultural styles and values can also be a source of difference, division, even conflict; and so it is among potential collaborators in the museum field. The word collaborate is formed from the Latin roots col, or together, along with laborare, or work. Thus, although our title alludes to a fundamental commitment to work together, we are invoking something more than the idea of autonomous individuals agreeing to engage in a joint enterprise . Although the initial focus of the National Museum was to record Japanese American experiences from the insider’s point of view, the frame of reference was quickly broadened to include the intragroup diversity within the Japanese American community, as well as the interactions with Europeans, Africans, Latinos/ Latinas, and Native Americans that have shaped our experiences and perspectives . How does one community go about collaborating with others, especially when there are differences and divisions within each? How can effective collaborations occur when worldviews and interactive styles differ? And how can collaborations be effected between organizations that have different levels of funding, resources, staff, and expertise? We do not pretend to resolve these questions in this volume, but they are critical, so we raise them with the hope that in future publications we can introduce and address them more fully. What we do claim to present here is evidence that a commitment to an ethnic-specific endeavor need not be provincial, particular, or separatist. Rather, holistic interpretations and understanding of the national and international fabric (ecumene) can emerge from the specifics of a racial-ethnic group’s experiences. We are grateful for the support of the Board of Trustees, the Board of Governors , Chief Executive Officer and President Irene Hirano, and the exceptional staff of the Japanese American National Museum. We also thank the Nippon Foundation for its generous support of the International Nikkei Research Project, the source point for this book. We deeply appreciate the efforts of our initial copyeditor, Joan York, and the work of Robyn Hamada-Gilmore, administrative coordinator at the National Museum, who helped prepare the final manuscript. AKEMI KIKUMURA-YANO LANE RYO HIRABAYASHI JAMES A. HIRABAYASHI PREFACE ix Common Ground ...