Arts, Culture, and Education

Stories of American arts, cultures, and education include histories of social institutions and movements as well as our diverse cultural values. People's cultural expressions can reveal their beliefs about themselves and the world they inhabit. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played a major role in shaping American arts and education. They became teachers, writers, musicians, principals, sculptors, painters, and more. Discover some of their stories here.
Molten lava spills out of a volcano during a cloudy night with the moon peeking through.
Moʻolelo (Stories)

Moʻolelo are stories, myths, legends, and part of the cultural fabric of Hawaiʻi.

Photo of Ruth Asawa's wire sculptures, spiraled and hanging from the ceiling.
Ruth Asawa

Ruth Asawa was an American modernist sculptor from California. During WWII, the US government incarcerated Asawa due to Japanese ancestry.

Jun Fujita and his wife Florence Carr Fujita seated in a blowout at the Indiana Dunes
Jun Fujita

Junnosuke "Jun" Fujita is considered to be the first Japanese American photojournalist and the first to gain prominence in the Midwest.

Black and white photograph of Louis Lee, an Asian man, holding a vintage camera.
Louis Lee

During World War II, Louis Lee served as a staff photographer of the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company.

Color photograph of an angular building with a sloped roof and abstract squiggles painted on wall.
George Nakashima Woodworker Complex

The George Nakashima Woodworker Complex, located in New Hope, PA, was the home of the internationally renowned furniture designer.

Last updated: July 12, 2024

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