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Join us in February for "Pictures of Belonging" an exhibition returning three American women of Japanese descent to their rightful place in the story of modernism.

Miki Hayakawa (1899–1953), Hisako Hibi (1907–1991), and Miné Okubo (1912–2001) were three of the most visible and critically acclaimed artists of Japanese descent working in the United States in the years leading up to World War II. Their careers spanned eight decades and four U.S. states, yet the full extent of their contributions remain under-recognized within twentieth-century American art history. The exhibition Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo asserts their place in the story of modernism and reveals a broader picture of the American experience by presenting their artworks and life stories in dialogue with each other for the first time.

Hayakawa, Hibi, and Okubo were part of a vibrant and diverse art scene that emerged in the San Francisco Bay Area between the World Wars. The prolific careers of Hayakawa, Hibi, and Okubo are remarkable considering that they lived through the Exclusion Era (1882–1965), a period characterized by U.S. laws that restricted immigration, prevented Asians from becoming naturalized American citizens, and contributed to the mass displacement and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

We'll meet at noon in the G Street lobby of the museum.  After viewing the exhibition, we'll head to Succotash at 1:30 pm for a delicious lunch.