Hiroto Hirashima

Hiroto Hirashima was a prominent Japanese American artist, educator, and community leader. He was born in 1920 in Seattle, Washington, and he passed away in 2012 at the age of 91.

Hirashima grew up in a community of Japanese immigrants, many of whom were involved in the fishing industry. During World War II, like many other Japanese Americans, he and his family were forcibly relocated to an internment camp. He was sent to Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho, where he lived from 1942 to 1945. While he was in the camp, he learned about silk-screen printing, which would become his primary medium as an artist.

After leaving the internment camp, Hirashima settled in Seattle, where he became a prominent figure in the local arts community. He was a co-founder of the Asian American Arts Center, which was established in 1974 in Seattle. The center was dedicated to promoting Asian American art and artists, and it provided a space for artists to exhibit their work and share their experiences.

Hirashima was also a respected art educator. He taught art at Seattle Central Community College for more than 20 years, and he mentored many young artists in the Seattle area. His own work was characterized by a deep sense of social engagement and a commitment to using art as a means of building community and promoting social justice. Many of his works dealt with themes of Japanese American history and the experiences of Japanese immigrants in the United States.

In addition to his work as an artist and educator, Hirashima was also an important community leader. He served as the director of the Seattle chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), a civil rights organization that was formed in the 1920s to advocate for the rights of Japanese Americans. He was a vocal advocate for redress and reparations for Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II, and he played a key role in the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided a formal apology and reparations to Japanese Americans who were interned during the war.

Hirashima's legacy as an artist, educator, and community leader continues to be celebrated today. His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States, and he is remembered as a pioneer in the field of Asian American art. In 2009, the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle honored Hirashima with a retrospective exhibition of his work, which highlighted his contributions to the arts and to the Japanese American community.