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 Mirikitani exhibition is the largest assembly of the Japanese American artist's work, featuring 145 pieces that document his life of displacement, incarceration, and homelessness, created using traditional Japanese techniques with found materials. The Yoshida exhibition presents prints by three generations of women from a renowned Japanese artistic family, marking the first U.S. display of their work together.
These exhibitions, along with two smaller shows, collectively illuminate the richness and diversity of Japanese and Asian American art. They highlight themes of resilience, intergenerational dialogue, and artistic innovation across borders. The project represents significant scholarly collaboration, includes a commissioned video installation and a virtual exhibition, and brings important but under-recognized narratives into a major museum context, expanding the public understanding of Asian and Asian American artistic contributions.