The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum (36 Millstone Campus) has welcomed a new traveling exhibit to its Karpati Gallery. Resilience – A Sansei Sense of Legacy highlights the impact and lasting legacy of America’s forced incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II through the artistry of third-generation Japanese Americans.
The exhibit was made possible through a partnership with the St. Louis chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). Wendy Roll, president of the local JACL, and Mike Kimzey, a board member, played crucial roles in the two-and-a-half-year long effort to bring the Resilience exhibit to St. Louis.
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The decision to partner with the Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum to bring Resilience to local audiences was a natural one. JACL has connections with staff and volunteers at the museum, and the two organizations have similar values. “We have a shared mission relating to social justice, anti-hate, and anti-bigotry.” Roll says.
Resilience reflects on Executive Order 9066, which forced the incarceration of West Coast Japanese Americans in 1942, through paintings, sculpture, textiles, and more. The eight featured artists—Kristine Aono, Reiko Fuji, Wendy Maruyama, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Tom Nakashima, Roger Shimomura, Judy Shintani, and Jerry Takigawa—all had family members who faced incarceration. These artists “use their craft both to honor their heritage and to confront the racism, hysteria, and exploitation that made incarceration possible,” according to the museum.
This exhibit marks the third showcase in the museum’s Karpati Gallery, which previously featured two exhibitions focusing on European experiences. Helen Turner, director of education at the museum, believes Resilience fits perfectly in their gallery, describing it as a time of discovery as they incorporate Japanese culture and heritage into the space. One key focus was to not only talk about the suffering faced, but also the courage and culture that people kept close.
“[We’re] making sure that we’re not just looking at the pain and the suffering, but also looking at resilience and life. And those notes really play into what we do with the Holocaust.” Turner says. “If we just talked about the suffering in the Holocaust, particularly of the Jews who were the center of that story, I feel like you would collapse under the weight of it. With Jewish suffering, there also has to be the flip side of the coin, which is Jewish joy…to me, they go hand in hand, and it’s just part of how you deal with difficult histories. You have to show the counterpoint, which is joy.”
Resilience – A Sansei Sense of Legacy is a free exhibit and open during regular museum hours. Free ticket reservations are required to attend and can be reserved online or in person. The exhibit is on display January 17–April 4. The Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum is open Wednesday–Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
