From the hand-drawn typeface on the cover of The Godfather to Herman Miller’s biomorphic coffee table, the work of Japanese American designers including Ruth Asawa, George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi, S. Neil Fujita, and Gyo Obata permeated postwar culture. While these second generation Japanese American artists have been celebrated, less-discussed is how their World War II incarceration—a period of intense hardship and discrimination—had a powerful effect on their lives and art.

Director Biography - Akira Boch

Akira Boch is an award-winning filmmaker and the Director of the Watase Media Arts Center at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. He has an MFA in Directing from the UCLA School of Film, TV, and Digital Media, and has made over 50 short films, documentaries, and music videos. His feature film The Crumbles went on a nationwide tour of theaters, festivals, and universities, and is available on Amazon Prime Video. His Emmy-Winning documentary Masters of Modern Design: The Art of the Japanese American Experience was co-produced by KCET in Los Angeles. His work can be seen at akiraboch.com