s03stacey

Graduate Travel Report: Stacey Mitsue Uradomo

A Visit with Lynne Yamamoto

My dissertation, Legacies: Family Memories, History, and Identity in Japanese American Art, centers around the work of three third generation Japanese American artists Tomie Arai, Lynne Yamamoto, and Roger Shimomura. Each artist draws upon family memories in order to negotiate diverse aspects of Japanese American identity such as gender, regional and generational differences, and sexuality. Much existing literature in Japanese American studies is dominated by a discourse that creates a one-dimensional representation of Japanese American identity as inexorably tied to the internment camp experience during World War II. Similarly, the majority of exhibited art of first and second generation Japanese Americans tends to focus on internment. Art historical and historical discourse, thus, privileges this particular historical event while simultaneously marginalizing those narratives that extend beyond the parameters of incarceration. Therefore, by interrogating other aspects of identity in their art, these third generation artists open up the concept of what is Japanese American identity. The project will examine each artist’s employment of a different mode of memory communication in their work in the forms of photography, memoirs, and oral history.

The grant from The Center for Feminist Research allowed me to travel to New York City in order to interview and visit the studio of Lynne Yamamoto and to visit the P.P.O.W. gallery, which is one of the galleries that represent her work. The majority of Yamamoto’s installation art recalls the memory of her grandmother’s life and work as a laundress on a Hawaiian plantation. Her oeuvre explores a series of provocative issues including colonialization, the often overlooked history of racism in Hawaii, and the life of Japanese immigrant women whose stories are often ignored in historical discourse. Yamamoto’s work repeatedly evokes the Hawaiian landscape and particular bodily markers of race, such as black hair, to address a different perspective of Japanese American subjectivity due to her specific regional upbringing. For my project, I am fortunate to be able to meet with the artist, see her works in person, and ask questions regarding her art. It was a genuine pleasure to speak with Yamamoto who was extremely accommodating, generous, and open. During the course of the interview, she presented slides of her work that were particularly pertinent to my dissertation on family memory. The interview was a success providing me with invaluable new information, compelling insights, and challenging issues to explore further and address in my dissertation. This initial interview in New York City has also enabled me to establish a working relationship with Yamamoto as we are still in contact with one another. She continues to be a tremendous source of help by answering more questions and assisting me with access to images and texts on her work. My visit to P.P.O.W. also gave me additional access to Yamamoto’s art and to slides. The gallery opened their archives, allowing me to find some more obscure articles on her work. My sincerest thanks to The Center for Feminist Research for the travel grant, which has contributed significantly to the advancement of my dissertation.


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Graduate Travel Report: Stacey Mitsue Uradomo A Visit with Lynne Yamamoto My dissertation, Legacies: Family Memories, History, and Identity in Japanese American Art, centers around the work of three third generation Japanese American artists Tomie Arai, Lynne Yamamoto, and Roger Shimomura. Each artist draws upon family memories in order to negotiate diverse aspects of Japanese American identity such as gender, regional and generational differences, and sexuality. Much existing literature in Japanese American studies is dominated by a discourse that creates a one-dimensional representation of Japanese American identity as inexorably tied to the internment camp experience during World War II. Similarly, the majority of exhibited art of first and second generation Japanese Americans tends to focus on internment. Art historical and historical discourse, thus, privileges this particular historical event while simultaneously marginalizing those narratives that extend beyond the parameters of incarceration. Therefore, by interrogating other aspects of identity in their art, these third generation artists open up the concept of what is Japanese American identity. The project will examine each artist’s employment of a different mode of memory communication in their work in the forms of photography, memoirs, and oral history. The grant from The Center for Feminist Research allowed me to travel to New York City in order to interview and visit the studio of Lynne Yamamoto and to visit the P.P.O.W. gallery, which is one of the galleries that represent her work. The majority of Yamamoto’s installation art recalls the memory of her grandmother’s life and work as a laundress on a Hawaiian plantation. Her oeuvre explores a series of provocative issues including colonialization, the often overlooked history of racism in Hawaii, and the life of Japanese immigrant women whose stories are often ignored in historical discourse. Yamamoto’s work repeatedly evokes the Hawaiian landscape and particular bodily markers of race, such as black hair, to address a different perspective of Japanese American subjectivity due to her specific regional upbringing. For my project, I am fortunate to be able to meet with the artist, see her works in person, and ask questions regarding her art. It was a genuine pleasure to speak with Yamamoto who was extremely accommodating, generous, and open. During the course of the interview, she presented slides of her work that were particularly pertinent to my dissertation on family memory. The interview was a success providing me with invaluable new information, compelling insights, and challenging issues to explore further and address in my dissertation. This initial interview in New York City has also enabled me to establish a working relationship with Yamamoto as we are still in contact with one another. She continues to be a tremendous source of help by answering more questions and assisting me with access to images and texts on her work. My visit to P.P.O.W. also gave me additional access to Yamamoto’s art and to slides. The gallery opened their archives, allowing me to find some more obscure articles on her work. My sincerest thanks to The Center for Feminist Research for the travel grant, which has contributed significantly to the advancement of my dissertation.