Setsuko Winchester is a Japanese-American potter who threw 120 yellow bowls to commemorate Japanese interned by the U.S. during World War II. The story is timely, since a similar spirit of xenophobia is gripping our country in the first few weeks of the Trump (dis)administration.
Each yellow bowl stands for 1000 Japanese interned. She explains her motivation in a three minute video. An in-depth article about Setsuko's yellow bowls appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on February 12, 2017. "Ceramics are part of your blood when you are Japanese," S. Winchester
Yellow tea bowls at the Poston War Relocation Center, located in Yuma County of southwestern Arizona.
photo by Setsuko Winchester
See the book: Farewell to Manzanar by Jane Wakatsuki Houston
There is also a film: Farewell to Manzanar. If you watch it, bring tissues.
Comment by Joan Shaw, Educator, Kalaheo, Hawaii: "This project is a poignant reminder of how easily and inappropriately groups of people can be maligned by the ignorance of others. When you look at the contributions of Japanese Americans over the years, it's hard to understand that they were once regarded as dangerous spies and traitors - to the point of being rounded up and interned. This is happening now with groups from other parts of the world. An excellent novel: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford."