Lecture Series: “History and Hardship of the Japanese Immigrants to Canada” by Sherri Kajiwara

Building damaged during Vancouver Riot of 1907, 130 Powell St.  Image courtesy UBC Rare Books and Special Collections Japanese Canadian Research Collection, item JCPC_ 36_017.

Japanese immigration to Canada is officially recorded as beginning in 1877.  The 65 years since then and the forced expulsion of anyone of Japanese ancestry from the westcoast of British Columbia in 1942 is a time of complexity.  Sherri Kajiwara, Director|Curator of the Nikkei National Museum (NNM) will present how the NNM curates the history and hardship of Japanese immigrants to Canada through examples of recent NNM exhibits, publications, and partnerships on SSHRC funded research projects.

Sherri Kajiwara has been a fine arts professional since 1992 as a gallerist, gallery director, gallery owner, writer, editor, publisher, and curator. After co-owning the Bjornson Kajiwara Gallery in Vancouver from 2004 – 2008, she launched an online arts communications company Vantage Art Projects and is currently is currently Director|Curator of the Nikkei National Museum at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, dedicated to honour, preserve, and share Japanese culture and Japanese Canadian history and heritage for a better Canada.

This event is jointly sponsored by the UBC Meiji at 150 Committee, Centre for Japanese Research, Department of History, and Department of Asian Studies.