Beauty in a Broken World
A group of Japanese Canadians were recently invited to participate in a community consultation by ROM organizers. The session was organized in order to provide feedback on how you feel the ROM can successfully engage the Japanese Canadian community and beyond. I attended the session and was struck by the intense interest and caring that was demonstrated by members of our community who participated in the ROM Community Consultation for Beauty in a Broken World on Monday, March 5th, from 6 – 8 pm. Japanese aesthetics and approaches to everyday life are apparent in the Japanese subconscious. We as Japanese Canadians are are also affected by these aesthetics and we are often unaware but when we get together as a group to talk about how we would like to be presented to the world through an exhibit at the ROM we become passionate about terminology and the importance of factual representation as opposed to euphemisms to depict the events. The pain of the past becomes tangibly present in the room and becomes a spark to ignite conversations long after the event. I will urge you all to speak to each other about how you would describe the events that are part of your own family history.
Participants described themselves based on their knowledge of the “Japanese Canadian situation during WWII” as
Walker – I know only a little bit
Jogger – I’ve heard stories and know some information
Runner – I’ve heard stories, read information and am fairly knowledgable
How do you identify on this scale?
How do members of your family and your friends see themselves?
We plan to bring a presentation about the exhibit to Hamilton soon and will follow up with a trip to the ROM to view the exhibit. Please let us know your interest.
– Patti Simpson
Read this story and others in the Hamilton Chapter Community News
