The Art of Gaman at SF MoCFA

The Museum of Craft and Folk Art presents The Art of Gaman, an exhibition that demonstrates the human urge to create beautiful objects in even the direst of situations. Based on a book by local author Delphine Hirasuna published in 2005, The Art of Gaman showcases art and craft objects created by Japanese-Americans who were detained in internment camps during World War II, many of which were located in California. Approximately fifty of these objects are on display in The Art of Gaman at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art and runs through February 25, 2007.

For more information call (415) 227-4888 or visit www.mocfa.org.

The Japanese word gaman means enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity. During World War II, Americans of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated in ten concentration camps across the United States. Among the 120,000 people sent to these desolate and remote locations, were established and emerging artists who were able to create works of beauty despite their harsh conditions. Imprisoned in remote camps surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by soldiers with machine guns, many Japanese American internees sought courage and solace in art. Using found materials at first and later what they could order by catalog, they whittled and carved, painted and etched, stitched and crocheted. What they created is a celebration of the nobility of the human spirit under adversity.