By David Yamaguchi
The North American Post
Local artist Aki Sogabe made two commissioned kiri-e paper-cutting artworks for the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (NJAMF). The physical setting on which the art is based is the National JA Memorial in Washington D.C. (see “Tomio Moriguchi Reflects on His Friendship with Norm Mineta,” napost.com, July 2022).
The second artwork contributed by Sogabe is on NAP Japanese website here.
The backstory on the artwork is that Kristine Minami, a member of the NJAMF Board, remembers seeing Sogabe’s murals at Pike Place Market, depicting JA farmers who were forcibly removed from Seattle during WWII. Minami felt that Sogabe could similarly capture the solemn beauty of the Memorial.
The NJAMF reproduced Sogabe’s artwork as limited edition prints that will be used as gifts by its board. NJAMF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the JA WWII experience. Info: njamemorial.org
