Bridging the Past and the Present – Japanese American Stories Come to Life in Redesigned and Modernized “Uprooted: An American Story” Exhibit

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — March 6, 2023: The California Museum’s updated signature exhibit is an immersive experience highlighting Japanese American survivor stories from the World War II mass incarceration and their ongoing efforts to safeguard civil liberties for all.

The California Museum announced that a fully rebuilt, technology-enhanced exhibit, “Uprooted: An American Story,” will open Saturday, March 11, 2023. Focusing on the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII, the exhibit explores how Japanese Americans responded to their forced removal and incarceration, ranging from quiet endurance to heroic valor to conscientious resistance. The exhibit also highlights Japanese Americans’ ongoing efforts to ensure no other groups experience similar civil rights violations.

“It is an honor to present this new ‘Uprooted’ exhibit,” said California Museum Executive Director Amanda Meeker. “For more than 20 years, the California Museum has helped share the lessons of the Japanese American WWII incarceration. The redesigned Uprooted exhibit builds on that tradition and emphasizes the continued, urgent need to continue standing up for the rights of others. We want our visitors to know that each one of us can make a difference when it comes to protecting our civil rights, both in big ways and through small, everyday actions.”

In addition to well-known elements of the original exhibit, such as a video introduction by George Takei and a replica barrack, the updated design features never-before-exhibited artifacts from survivors and new interactive elements for visitors, including an AI-based display that allows visitors to hold virtual conversations with incarceration survivors.  

The sold-out exhibit grand opening on March 11, 2023, will be presented in partnership with the Northern California Time of Remembrance Committee. Festivities will include a taiko performance, ikebana demonstrations, hands-on crafts, self-guided exhibit tours, and a presentation by Kevin Sayama of C&G Partners, the award-winning creative studio behind the exhibit’s dramatic redesign. All grand opening proceeds will help support the Museum’s annual “Time of Remembrance” field trip program about the incarceration. The exhibit will be open for all general admission Museum visitors starting March 12.

For event information, visit https://californiamuseum.org/event/uprooted-american-story-grand-opening. For exhibit information, visit https://californiamuseum.org/uprooted.