One hundred fifty years ago, in 1860, the first official Japanese government delegation to a western nation arrived in San Francisco, foreshadowing the city’s role as a destination for large numbers of Japanese visitors and immigrants in the decades to follow. This one-day symposium provides scholars and community leaders with an opportunity to examine artworks and other visual media through the historical lens of this era. They will expand discussion on three aspects of the San Francisco’s early connections with Japan as introduced in the thematic exhibit Japan’s Early Ambassadors to San Francisco, 1860–1927: 1) the 1860 first embassy from Japan to the United States, which arrived in San Francisco, 2) the participation of Japanese immigrant artists in the cultural life of San Francisco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and 3) the 1927 Friendship Dolls sent from Japan to the US as “goodwill ambassadors,” part of a cultural diplomacy project created in response to the 1924 Asian Exclusion Act prohibiting further immigration from Japan.

For more information, please visit the Society for Asian Art or call (415) 581-3701. For the symposium agenda and speakers list, please click here.

Location:
Asian Art Museum
Samsung Hall
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
[Map]

Date & Time:
Saturday, November 6, 2010
10:30 am to 4:30 pm

Cost:
$30 (plus museum admission); $12 for college students with valid ID

 

Symposium fee includes a boxed lunch and a curator-led tour of the exhibit. Pre-registration is required to receive the lunch. To register, please visit the Society for Asian Art or call (415) 581-3701.

This program is funded by grants from the The Atsuhiko and Ina Tateuchi Foundation and the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Foundation. Co-presented with the Society for Asian Art. Cosponsored by the Kanrin Maru 150th Anniversary Committee and the National Japanese American Historical Society.