The Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas is opening two major exhibitions on February 19: 'Street Nihonga: The Art of Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani' and 'Brush, Block, and Blood: Three Generations of Yoshida Women Printmakers.' The first is the largest assembly of works by Japanese American artist Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani, whose life was marked by incarceration during WWII and homelessness, and who adapted traditional Nihonga techniques with found materials. The second exhibition presents, for the first time in the U.S., the work of three generations of women printmakers from the renowned Yoshida family. These shows are complemented by a new video commission from Ayomi Yoshida and other smaller exhibitions focusing on Japanese and Asian American contemporary art.
These exhibitions collectively highlight the diversity and historical depth of Japanese and Asian American artistic practice, bringing significant but often overlooked narratives to a wider audience. They underscore themes of resilience, intergenerational dialogue, and the transformation of traditional techniques within contemporary contexts. The scholarly curation and accompanying virtual resources, including a bilingual catalog, aim to foster deeper public engagement with these important cultural stories and the museum's growing collection in this area.