Internationally renowned Nikkei architect Raymond Moriyama to be honoured with the 2020 Thomas Shoyama Lifetime Achievement Award at Charitable Gala in Vancouver

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nikkei Place Foundation
220-6688 Southoaks Crescent
Burnaby, BC  V5E 4M7
604.777.2122
nikkeiplacefoundation.org

BURNABY, BC – Nikkei Place Foundation (NPF) is thrilled to announce that internationally renowned Nikkei architect Raymond Moriyama has been chosen as this year’s Thomas Shoyama Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Moriyama will be presented with the award at their annual fundraising gala, the Thomas Shoyama Sakura Gala, on Saturday, April 4, 2020 at Coast Coal Harbour Hotel. Proceeds support Nikkei Place Foundation to strengthen, connect, and invest in the future of the Nikkei (Japanese Canadian) community.

The Thomas Shoyama Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the achievements of outstanding individuals who have served as leaders in their fields and in the Japanese Canadian community. Previous awardees have included Dr. David Suzuki, Arthur Hara, Gordon Kadota, Henry Wakabayashi, Joy Kogawa, and Kaye Kaminishi (Asahi Baseball Team).

Raymond Moriyama has applied his visionary architectural approach to projects around the globe, including: Ottawa's City Hall, the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, the Saudi Arabian National Museum, and the Canadian War Museum, among others. During the Second World War, Raymond Moriyama and his family were interned in Slocan Valley and his experiences in the camp have informed his personal and professional career. Moriyama believes that "architecture has to be humane and its intent the pursuit of true ideals, of true democracy, of equality and of inclusion of all people."

He has received some of the highest professional honours including the Confederation of Canada Medal, and the RAIC Gold Medal. Moriyama has also received honourary degrees from ten Canadian universities, the Order of Canada, the Order of the Rising Sun, and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal.

“The Thomas Shoyama Lifetime Achievement Award was created to honour Japanese Canadian heroes – to recognize the outstanding achievements of those who have made a profound and lasting mark on the fabric of Canada, and the inspiring legacy they give to future generations. It is with great excitement that we recognize Raymond Moriyama with this award at our upcoming gala.” said Naomi Kawamura, Executive Director at Nikkei Place Foundation.

The gala brings together community leaders, philanthropists, and business professionals to honour and celebrate the achievements of Nikkei in Canada. The evening’s agenda also includes the presentation of the 2019-2020 Nikkei Youth Athletics Bursary recipient (to be announced) and recognition of a Nikkei entrepreneur (to be announced).

Please check www.nikkeiplacefoundation.org/thomas-shoyama-gala for the most updated event information. Tickets on sale now. Purchase online at www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/nikkei-place-foundation/events/thomas-shoyama-sakura-gala-2020/ or contact the Nikkei Place Foundation office at 604-777-2122 or gala@nikkeiplacefoundation.org for tickets and sponsorship information.

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About Nikkei Place Foundation

Nikkei Place Foundation is the charitable fundraising organization for the Nikkei Place Japanese Canadian community in Burnaby. We are the bridge that connects philanthropy with Nikkei history, arts, culture, community, and senior care. Together with our partners, the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC) and the Nikkei Seniors Health Care and Housing Society (NSHCHS), we work to build a strong and vibrant community for all.

For media inquires, please contact:

Lindsay Fong
Marketing & Communications Manager
creative@nikkeiplacefoundation.org

Nikkei National Museum is New Again!

May 1, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Art | Installation | History

BURNABY, B.C. — Nikkei National Museum is new again!

Nikkei Centre opened in Burnaby in 2000 with plans to expand its museum and archives in the future; that future has become reality. Museum renovation has been made possible by a generous donation from Yoshiko Karasawa, and in part by the Government of Canada.

On July 20, 2019 we open the new Karasawa gallery with a core exhibit titled Nikkei 日系.  Nikkei, pronounced nee-kay, is a term that identifies Japanese heritage, but its complexity often requires explanation, especially outside of Japan where the label is most relevant.

 With this inaugural exhibit, we deliver on our mission to honour, preserve, and share Japanese culture and Japanese Canadian history and heritage for a better Canada by drawing upon the museum’s archive and permanent collection to tell a layered core story of Canadians of Japanese ancestry. This ambitious exhibit will elucidate milestone events of our community’s history in a non-linear and intersectional way.

More than 25 individuals and family stories, accompanied by rare and previously inaccessible personal belongings from the community, will give evidence to lived experience of Nikkei in Canada. Digitized heritage film footage (funded by Library and Archives Canada) projected onto a double-height wall will be juxtaposed against Cindy Mochizuki’s contemporary interpretation of historic letters showcased in her visually luscious film installation, “Sue Sada was Here”.  We invite visitors to investigate broader questions of migration, racism, identity, and belonging through seeing, hearing, and learning about the Nikkei community’s resilience, resistance, and resonance in this country.

The exhibit will fill the entire new gallery space for its initial run, with built-in flexibility to contract down to a set of core exhibit elements in the future. This will allow ongoing access to a consistent Nikkei narrative for educational tours while allowing for rotating temporary exhibits in the Karasawa gallery space. The core exhibit also promises over time to rotate through a repository of over 30,000 photographs, 35 metres of textual records, 500 oral history recordings, 100 film reels, and over 2500 artefacts and artworks, which continue to grow with the tireless efforts of our archive and collections team.

Concurrent with the new gallery opening, we are also excited to announce a newly refreshed Charles H Kadota Resource Centre, museum archives, shop, and reception.

For more information about the exhibit, visit centre.nikkeiplace.org.

Contact:
Sherri Kajiwara, Director|Curator
skajiwara@nikkeiplace.org | 604.777.7000 ext 112