Screening of ‘Masters of Modern Design: The Art of the JA Experience’ at de Young Museum

SAN FRANCISCO — “Masters of Modern Design: The Art of the Japanese American Experience,” produced by the Japanese American National Museum’s Watase Media Arts Center and KCET, will be screened on Saturday, Aug. 10, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the de Young Museum’s Koret Auditorium, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. in Golden Gate Park.

From the hand-drawn logo 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.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with Asawa’s children, Aiko Cuneo, Addie Lanier, and Paul Lanier; Asawa’s biographer, Marilyn Chase; “Masters of Modern Design’s” director, filmmaker, and director of JANM’s Watase Media Arts Center, Akira Boch; KCET/PBS SoCal/LinkTV Chief Creative Officer and Executive Producer Juan Devis; and Producer Jacqueline Reyno.

This is a free Saturday at the museum and high attendance is expected. Seating will be first-come, first-served, so arrive early.

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