Coming to Portland, Oregon..."Big Drum: Taiko in the United States"

The Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center will be the venue for a traveling version of the exhibition, Big Drum: Taiko in the United States. The exhibit opens on Friday, June 16, 2006, with a public reception from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Big Drum: Taiko in the United States was organized in 2005 by the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California, in collaboration with over 80 leading taiko groups, including Portland Taiko.

Big Drum: Taiko in the United States provides context for the exuberant drumming art form. This is the first major museum exhibition about taiko in America. Through photographs, artifacts, and media arts, the exhibition explores the development of taiko in the U.S. and how it reflects the resilience and transformation of traditions, the historical journeys of Japanese Americans, and the cultivation of new, diverse communities. The original exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum was made possible by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by National Museum members and donors. The Portland installation is the first showing outside Los Angeles and will feature artifacts and photographs from Northwest taiko groups in addition to exhibit pieces on loan from the Los Angeles museum.

Akemi Kikumura-Yano, Vice President for Programs, says about the Portland showing of this exhibition: "The Japanese American National Museum is honored to have its landmark exhibition, Big Drum: Taiko in the United States, installed at the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center in Portland. The playing of taiko is an integral part of Japanese American culture and history in the post-war and it is important that there is a greater understanding that this art form that has become so popular in North America was a direct outgrowth from our own Nikkei communities in the United States. Big Drum tells that story in compelling detail.

"The National Museum is pleased to return to Oregon where it worked with the local Japanese American communities to develop the exhibition, "In This Great Land of Freedom: The Japanese Pioneers of Oregon."

The opening reception on Friday, June 16, is open to the public. This reception, co-sponsored by Portland Taiko, will also be the welcome reception for the Regional Taiko Gathering hosted by Portland Taiko. The taiko gathering during June 16-18, 2006, will bring together over 100 taiko players from the Northwest United States and Vancouver, British Columbia, for a weekend of workshops and concerts.

Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center
121 NW 2nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 224-1458
www.oregonnikkei.org
onlc@oregonnikkei.org

Opening Reception: Friday, June 16, 2006, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Exhibition dates: June 16 - August 27, 2006
Exhibit hours: Tues - Sat 11-3 and Sun 12-3
$3.00 donation, free to members of ONLC and JANM

The Portland showing of Big Drum: Taiko in the United States is made possible, in part, by support from George & Nobuko Azumano, Dr. Toshio Inahara, Naito Corporation, Kelly & Melissa Saito, and Alice E. Sumida.

The Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center (ONLC), opened in 1998, is a Japanese American museum and center that preserves and shares the history and culture of Japanese Americans in Oregon. A project of the Oregon Nikkei Endowment, ONLC creates and hosts exhibits, provides speakers for schools and community organizations, offers public programs, records videotaped oral histories, and preserves historic documents and artifacts. The Japanese American National Museum, founded in 1985, is the only national museum dedicated to preserving and sharing the experiences of Japanese Americans. For more information, go to www.janm.org.