Featuring more than 50 prints and examples of his poetry, this museum exhibition is the first to focus on the work of Munio Makuuchi (born Howard Takahashi, 1934-2000) and serves as a reclamation of the artist’s visual and literary contributions.

The son of a Japanese-born father and American-born mother, Makuuchi and his family were confined in an incarceration camp for Japanese Americans from 1942 to 1945. The Minidoka Relocation Center in Idaho was one of ten facilities designed to contain over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry living on the west coast during World War II. This pivotal experience was a catalyst for Makuuchi’s art as well as his rootless existence.

During his tumultuous life, Makuuchi was consistently shaped by challenges, yet the more obstacles he faced, the more defiantly he pursued his vision. Makuuchi’s mature period of work began in the early 1970s and reached a crescendo after his return in 1983 from teaching at the University of Ife, Nigeria. His early life trauma and family history set the stage and provided fuel for the productive work that was to follow.

The fully-illustrated catalogue accompanying the exhibition will be the first published scholarship on this largely unrecognized American artist, placing him within his social, historical, artistic, and literary context.