California Story Fund
1942: Luggage From Home to Camp
Japanese American Museum
San Jose
Project Director: Joseph Yasutake/Flo Oy Wong
What if you were suddenly ordered to leave your home and could only take a small suitcase. What would you take with you? This project tells what six San Jose residents carried in their suitcases to Japanese internment camps during World War II. The former internees will be interviewed by the award-winning artist Flo Oy Wong, who will videotape and audiotape the six and then work with them to write stories.
Wong will then create a suitcase installation, using the actual suitcases the former internees carried to camp. The exhibit will be held at the Japanese-American Museum in San Jose and then travel to other venues. To foster public discussion, the project will include a symposium at the San Jose Museum of Art with historians, former internees and members of the community.