The Montalvo Arts Center is pleased to announce the debut of its newest commission: Rolling Counterpoint, a project by artist Taro Hattori. The work, which draws on the tradition of the Japanese teahouse, is envisioned as a physical and virtual space for encounter and dialogue about belonging and division in contemporary society. In 16th century Japan, against the backdrop of civil war, tea masters became political go-betweens while teahouses served as radically egalitarian spaces of non-violence and provided opportunities for rational discourse, conviviality, political consensus and peace. Using this history as a point of departure, Hattori reimagines the teahouse as a meeting space and dialogical zone where diverse people from all walks of life can come together to share stories and experiences about what belonging means to them.

In association with the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 2017, which authorized the mass forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, Rolling Counterpoint will be temporarily stationed at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose from February 16 through 19. Visitors are invited to share tea with artist Taro Hattori during Museum hours and explore why it is important to remember Executive Order 9066. Members of the public will also be encouraged to use the anniversary of 9066 as a point of departure to share their thoughts about what belonging means to them and discuss forms of exclusion, displacement, and discrimination that they have either experienced or witnessed in their communities.