Cartoons from Camp: A Special Exhibit at Manzanar NHS now through November 12
Most people don’t think of wartime internment camps as humorous. But former internee Jack Masuoka not only found humor in a dark situation, he also found a way to share his experiences by drawing cartoons. Masuoka’s historic cartoons, while depicting adverse conditions, find the light side of life in camp. Taken together they offer insight into the uncertainty and anxiety of those times, while celebrating the resiliency of the human spirit. Manzanar National Historic Site, in partnership with the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, hosts a show of Masuoka’s cartoons at the Manzanar Interpretive Center now through November 12, 2007.
Masuoka was a teenager when he and his family were sent to Poston, Arizona, one of ten War Relocation Authority camps like Manzanar. They were among more than 120,000 Japanese Americans held in camps during World War II. Through his timeless cartoons, Jack Masuoka captures facets of daily life behind barbed wire.
Masuoka’s cartoons are now captured in a book, POSTON CAMP II, BLOCK 211. He still draws cartoons professionally and is a member of the National Cartoonist Society.
Jack Masuoka’s cartoons are on display at the Manzanar Interpretive Center now through November 12. The Interpretive Center is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. until October 31, and 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. beginning November 1. The center is located nine miles north of Lone Pine and six miles south of Independence off U.S. Highway 395. All exhibits are free and open to the public. For more information call 760.878.2194, ext. 2710.
Source: NPS
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