This week we went on a field trip to Tacoma, and had the chance to visit the Tacoma Museum of Art, as well as the Tacoma History Museum. At the History Museum we studied the works of artist Takuichi Fujii, a Japanese artist whose work was inspired by his experience during the time of WWII relocation and internment camps. His work portrayed stark images of the struggle Japanese Americans went through during that time, and many of his work included watercolor or pen and ink.

The exhibit we viewed at the Art Museum featured Zhi Lin. His work surrounded the lives of Chinese migrant workers, and was on a vast scale compared to the work of Fujii.

We ended the day at the Chinese Reconciliation Park in Tacoma. It was a beautiful and serene setting on the waterfront where we were able to take a collective walk through Chinese American History in the Pacific Northwest. Alongside the plaques explaining the history, there was also some traditional Chinese Architecture and statues that served to add to the overall ambience of the park.

I found the book for this week beautiful and upsetting. Much of the imagery felt as intricate as it did cold. Within the story a mother and her two children go through the struggle of being separated from father and husband, and being relocated to an internment camp. The story follows them through their time in Utah, and the way that even after they were integrated back into society it was almost more of a struggle because of the way that Japanese Americans were treated post-war.