BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//PYVOBJECT//NONSGML Version 1//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:events.uid.5859@www.discovernikkei.org DTSTART:20190127T000000Z DTEND:20190127T000000Z DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, January 27\, 1 p.m.\, the <strong>Okinawa Associati on of America (OAA)</strong> in Gardena will host &ldquo\;Finding Okinawa\ ,&rdquo\; a mini symposium featuring conversations with three artists of O kinawan descent: <strong>author/playwright Jon Shirota</strong> from Hawai &lsquo\;i\, local <strong>filmmaker/educator Gena Hamamoto</strong>\, and <strong>illustrator Flor Kaneshiro</strong> from Argentina <em>(short biog raphies below)</em>. In addition to talking about their work\, they will t ouch upon their experiences as third- and fourth-generation Okinawans and how their identity inspired certain projects.\n\nThe event&rsquo\;s title\ , &ldquo\;Finding Okinawa\,&rdquo\; reflects the journey that many Okinawa n descendants have in the search for their familial roots and cultural ide ntity. The event also aims to explore the power of art and the importance of ethnic representation in creative fields.\n\n<strong>Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. for a mini exhibit featuring the illustrations of Flor Kaneshi ro.\n</strong>\n<strong>Due to limited space\, reservation is required by Friday\, January 25.</strong> Admission is $5 for the general public\, fre e for current OAA members and children ages 10 and under (donations are ap preciated). The OAA Center is located at 16500 South Western Avenue (the e vent will take place in the Yamauchi Building). Limited on-site and street side parking available. <a href="http://bit.ly/findingokinawa2019" target= "_blank"><strong>Register online</strong></a> or through the OAA office (o aamensore@gmail.com\, 310-532-1929\; weekdays\, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.).\n\n<str ong>About the Artists\n</strong>\n<strong>Jon Shirota</strong> is a renown ed author and playwright from Maui\, Hawai&lsquo\;i. His debut novel\, &ld quo\;Lucky Come Hawaii&rdquo\; (1965)\, became a milestone as the first be st-selling novel by an Asian American author from Hawai&lsquo\;i. Shirota& rsquo\;s works are unique because of their complex representations of Okin awan immigrants and their descendants: &ldquo\;Lucky Come Hawaii&rdquo\; a nd &ldquo\;Leilani&rsquo\;s Hibiscus&rdquo\; center on Okinawan immigrant families in Hawai&lsquo\;i while &ldquo\;Voices from Okinawa&rdquo\; follo ws a mixed-race Okinawan American who\, as an English teacher in Okinawa\, learns about his ancestral homeland&rsquo\;s difficult relationship with the U.S. military presence. The University of Hawai&lsquo\;i Press publish ed a landmark anthology\, &ldquo\;Voices from Okinawa\,&rdquo\; in 2009\, compiling the three aforementioned plays in addition to essays and memoirs by other notable Okinawan authors. At 91 years old\, Shirota continues to give presentations about his literary works in Hawai&lsquo\;i and the mai nland U.S.\n\n<strong>Gena Hamamoto</strong> is a filmmaker and media arts educator. Her credits range from mainstream productions like &ldquo\;GLOW &rdquo\; and &ldquo\;iZombie&rdquo\; to notable independent documentaries such as <em>&ldquo\;No M&aacute\;s Beb&eacute\;s&rdquo\;</em> and Asian Am erican festival favorites like &ldquo\;The Crumbles.&rdquo\; As an educato r\, the California-born <em>yonsei</em> (fourth generation) has worked wit h incarcerated youth\, immigrant communities\, and senior citizens. She al so worked as assistant director for the UCLA Center for Ethno Communicatio ns program. A short trip to Okinawa sparked an interest in the Okinawan si de of her family and she decided to choose World War II&rsquo\;s Battle of Okinawa as the focus for her UCLA thesis project. Titled &ldquo\;Typhoon of Steel\,&rdquo\; the 19-minute documentary recalls the experiences of Fr ank Seiyu Higashi and Takejiro Higa\, two <em>nisei</em> (second generatio n) who served as U.S. military linguists during the devastating campaign i n their parents&rsquo\; home islands.\n\n<strong>Flor Kaneshiro</strong> i s a <em>sansei</em> (third generation) illustrator from Argentina whose ar twork has been exhibited and published locally and in China\, Okinawa\, Sp ain\, and the United States. In 2016\, she had the opportunity to study tr aditional Ryūkyūan lacquerware at the Okinawa Prefecture University of A rts <em>(Geidai)</em> through the Okinawa Prefecture International Student Program (commonly called the &ldquo\;<em>kempi</em> scholarship&rdquo\;). One year living in her grandparents&rsquo\; homeland also inspired her il lustration work\, resulting in a number of beautiful watercolor paintings of Okinawan sacred sites\, nature\, and cultural elements\, as well as a s eries based on the horrors of the Battle of Okinawa. In the past year\, sh e illustrated three books including a cookbook from Silvia Morizono\, a pi oneering restaurateur who popularized Japanese cuisine in Argentina\, and began working on a project for the <em>Asociaci&oacute\;n Peruano Japonesa </em> (Japanese Peruvian Association). This will be her first time visitin g the United States.\n\n<strong>About the OAA\n</strong>\nThe <strong>Okin awa Association of America\, Inc. (OAA)</strong> is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving and promoting Okinawan cultu re. Formed by Okinawan immigrants <em>(issei)</em> over a century ago\, th e OAA has grown into a multi-generational organization that hosts numerous events throughout the year including cultural lectures\, performances\, s ocial gatherings\, and senior-focused activities. <strong>2019 marks the o rganization&rsquo\;s 110th anniversary.</strong> For updates about special anniversary events including a concert by the renowned Okinawan band\, Be gin (ビギン)\, please visit <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=htt p%3A%2F%2Foaamensore.org%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2Iqy7-eas-7uMDP76P7oEL_zXgI_qk9 fqm9NN2PjOvayKk-JYrGwLtkqU&amp\;h=AT0fnmFux2L7WEIK2QIHxdY-3lDVSs8VxcYz8Xz6 mde8DPFa1qlTDBvn8TQgcbOOI9bT5cYrUsWzSqrX-MBcCz-0o102MTmo_T9aBJeszq9DzaJt7w wAc6qK_tgf4IAjyV6N6vM" target="_blank">oaamensore.org</a> or <a href="http s://facebook.com/oaamensore" target="_blank">facebook.com/oaamensore</a>. DTSTAMP:20240416T153410Z SUMMARY:Finding Okinawa: Conversations with 3 Artists (Jon Shirota\, Gena H amamoto\, Flor Kaneshiro) URL:/en/events/2019/01/27/finding-okinawa-conversations-with-3-artists-jon/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR