Transcription located here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Nd-li93obEup4pqnz_f3vW6NZt0nn63gfpMTCI93kVM/edit?usp=sharing

This panel was organized by AARW and NAPAWF Boston.

Background:
This summer, the MFA curated a public program called Kimono Wednesday, which invited museum visitors to don historically accurate reproduction kimonos in front of Claude Monet’s painting, "La Japonaise." Although this exhibition was commissioned by the NHK, Japan’s national public broadcasting organization, and traveled throughout Japan, the event encountered controversy when it reached the MFA, resulting in a protest, a counter-protest, and a museum apology.

Within the Asian American community, reactions to the event ranged from anger to indifference to confusion; which in turn sparked many responses from Japanese nationals as well as those of the Japanese diaspora. We acknowledge the diversity of perspectives regarding this controversy and believe it is necessary to engage in inter and intra-community dialogue on topics like representation and cultural appropriation. Although the MFA’s event has concluded, our lived experiences are ongoing.

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Panelists:
Professor Paul Watanabe, UMass Boston Institute of Asian American Studies
Professor Elena Tajima Creef, Wellesley College
Christina Huilan Wang, protestor and MassArt graduate student


NAPAWF Boston and AARW