Beyond the Camps: Art, Experience, and Executive Order 9066

Join artist Masako Takahashi and community leader and collector Patrick Hayashi in a discussion about their artistic practices, memories of Japanese American incarceration during World War II, and what they hope for the future of Asian American art in the museum space. Both Takahashi and Hayashi gifted art to the Cantor Arts Center in support of the Asian American Art Initiative (AAAI). These works are now on view as part of the exhibition, East of the Pacific: Making Histories of Asian American Art (through Feb. 12, 2023). Co-director of the AAAI, Aleesa Pitchamarn Alexander, PhD, will moderate this virtual discussion. A recording will be made available at a later date.

Masako Takahashi is a San Francisco-based artist who works in various media, including human hair, textiles, and paint on canvas. Born in the Japanese American incarceration camp in Topaz, Utah, Takahashi later attended the San Francisco Art Institute and the University of California, Berkeley. Since the 1980s, Takahashi has maintained a studio practice in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Patrick Hayashi is an Oakland-based artist and art collector. In addition to helping establish the University of California, Berkeley’s Asian American Studies Department, Hayashi has held various high-ranking positions in the UC system. Around thirty years ago, Hayashi and his wife, Sandra, began collecting art related to Japanese American incarceration.