ART OF SURVIVAL: ENDURING THE TURMOIL AT TULE LAKE
February 25 – April 4, 2021
The Art of Survival: Enduring the Turmoil of Tule Lake is an exhibit probing the complexity of the Japanese American confinement site in Tule Lake – the largest designated segregation center ruled under martial law. There are stories of sorrow and resilience, courage and fear, loneliness and solidarity. Through Hiroshi Watanabe’s poignant photographs of artifacts, we are able to get a sense of the experience of those who were unjustly confined. The accompanying panels provide historical context and a window into the layered complexity of the events that took place at Tule Lake.
The Art of Survival is supported in part by a Preservation of Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. This exhibit has been made in cooperation with the Tule Lake Unit of WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Art of Survival is a traveling exhibition toured by Exhibit Envoy.
IMAGE CREDITS:
Right: Stewart, Francis, Tula Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. A view showing the artistic way in which the evacuees decorate the exterior of the barracks to make them more homelike. Deportment of the Interior, War Relocation Authority. 11/03/1942. NARA ID: 536360 – Courtesy of the National Archives.
Left: Lee, Russell, Los Angeles, California. The evacuation of Japanese-Americans from West coast areas under United States Army war emergency order. Japanese try to sell their belongings. Form Security Administration / Office of War Information, (Library of Congress) 4/1942. Reproduction Number: LC-USF34-072258-D – Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Metal Rafter Cap, Embossed “May Happiness Come Here”, Tule Lake, California
Melted Glass Bottle No. 36,Tule Lake, California
Yarn Doll In Box, Tule Lake, California
Tea Pot, Tule Lake, California
Pipe-Cleaner Doll With Shell Face, Tule Lake, California
One Gallon Glass Bottle, Tule Lake, California
Softball Autographed By Members Of Tule Lake Softball Team
Shell Flowers In Shadow Box
Pipe-cleaner Flower Arrangement in Gallon Jug, Tule Lake, California
Pink Buds Shell Corsage Pin, Tule Lake, California
Pea Coat With ‘K Sakazaki’ Stitching, Tule Lake, California
Melted Glass Bottle No.33, Tule Lake, California
Leather Folding Wallet, Tule Lake, California
Japanese Dancing Doll Made at Tule Lake, California
White Crane And Two Large Flower Blossoms On Pedestal Made From Shells, Tule Lake, California
Standard WWII US Army Canteen, Shot through with Bullet, Tule Lake,California
Shell Flower Ornament With White Ribbon, Tule Lake, California
Shell Flower Corsage, Tule Lake, California
Shell Flower Arrangement in Gallon Jug, Tule Lake, California
Pipe-cleaner Flower Arrangement in Gallon Jug, Tule Lake, California
Pipe-Cleaner Flower Arrangement in Gallon Jug, Tule Lake, California
Pipe-cleaner Doll with Painted Face on Shell 3
Metal Two-Cell Flash Light, Tule Lake, California
Maxwell House Coffee, Tule Lake, California
Johnson’s Baby Powder, Tule Lake, California
Carved Bird Dressed with Shell Beads, Tule Lake, California
Bottle with Dead Bugs, Tule Lake, California
Broken Bottle Neck No.40, Tule Lake, California
Broken Dish, Tule Lake, California
Broken Light Bulb, Tule Lake, California
Caucasian Doll Dressed In Southern Belle Dress, Tule Lake, California
Chair Made by Mitsuo Kaida in 1944, Tule Lake, California
Die, Tule Lake, California
Doll Shell Ornament, Tule Lake, California
Ducks Flying Wooden Pin, Tule Lake, California
General Electric 100 Watt Light Bulb, Tule Lake, California
Handmade Grandmother (Bachan’s) Doll, Tule Lake, California
Rice Bowl Made in Japan, Tule Lake, California
Rice Bowl Made in Japan
Hair Brush, No Bristles, Tule Lake, California
Tule Lake Relocation Center Autograph Book 2
Tule Lake Relocation Center Autograph Book 1