Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei Heritage Museum presents Sowing Dreams, Cultivating Lives: Nikkei Farmers in Pre-World War II Orange County

Opening Reception:
Saturday, February 10, 2007
10:00 a.m. through 12:00 p.m.
By invitation only

Opening Day:
Saturday, February 10, 2007
12:00 p.m. through 4:00 p.m.

Exhibit Dates:
February 10, 2007 to July 29, 2007
Open Saturdays and Sundays, 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Or by appointment

Located at: Fullerton Arboretum, California State University, Fullerton
1900 Associated Road
Fullerton, California 92831

Admission: Free

Website: www.arboretum.fullerton.edu

RSVP and additional information: Joanne Lewis (714)278-3407, email: jlewis@fullerton.edu

Gregory Dyment, Director
Email: farboretum@fullerton.edu

Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei Heritage Museum, on the grounds of the Fullerton Arboretum at California State University, Fullerton, highlights Orange County’s agrarian roots and the contributions made by pioneering farmers, including those in the Japanese American community.
This opening exhibit, Sowing Dreams, Cultivating Lives: Nikkei Farmers in Pre-World War II Orange County, interprets the experiences of the Japanese American farmers who settled and lived in Orange County in the years leading up to their relocation and internment in the spring of 1942. Based on the collection of oral histories and photographs held at CSUF’s Center for Oral and Public History, the exhibit covers immigration, family life, social organizations, and farming.

The museum will also feature an original art work by New York artist Mike Saijo based on local photographs and writings in Echo from the pre-war period. The work will measure seven feet tall by ten feet wide and reflects the sense of community spirit of the Japanese American farmers.
This exhibit owes much to the cooperation of several departments from across the California State University, Fullerton campus. From Visual Arts to Anthropology, from History to Biology, professors, staff, and students have contributed time, effort, and skills to design, develop, and create the exhibition concepts and structures. Moreover, the volunteers who devoted countless hours building creative displays, and the generosity of people in the community who provided advice, artifacts, and personal items, all contributed to the realization of this project.
Sowing Dreams, Cultivating Lives: Nikkei Farmers in Pre-World War II Orange County will journey with the early Japanese immigrants to California, and follows their stories as they established permanent communities in Orange County, by marrying, raising families, founding schools and social groups, farming, and above all, cultivating their new lives.

Curator, Stephanie George
Designer, Carlota F. Haider