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Roger Shimomura (1939 - present)
Roger Shimomura (1939 - present)
Born Roger Yutaka Shimomura on June 26, 1939, in Seattle, WA. He is sansei, which means third-generation Japanese-American.
In 1942, He and his family were moved to an internment camp in Minidoka, Idaho after President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This mandated that all Japanese and Japanese-Americans be sent to relocation camps during WWII. Starting when he was nearly three years old, he and his family lived in the camp for two years. This experience has a strong influence in his artwork.
He earned a BA in graphic design from the University of Washington (1961), and an MFA in filmmaking and performance art at Syracuse University (1969).
Shimomura began teaching at the University of Kansas in 1969, and was a professor there until his retirement in 2004. He is known for creating humorous pop-art works that confront difficult cultural and racial issues in America.
In 2011, the Smithsonian hosted an exhibit titled "Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter" which asked what it meant to be an Asian American. Seven artists were featured, and Shimomura was one of the displayed artists. He showed five works, including Shimomura Crossing the Delaware (2010), a play off of Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851), by Emanual Leutze. His works can be found all across the country including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. You will notice that in his pop-art style, he often uses classic ukiyo-e imagery (think Katsushika Hokusai), combined with pop-culture references like Coca-Cola, Mickey Mouse, and comic book characters (think Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein). Some of his works display characters that embody racial stereotypes. Shimomura does this so that the viewer can face our country's uncomfortable past and examine where we stand today with cultural and racial equality in America.
What do you notice? ✏️ What do you wonder? ✏️ What do you like or dislike?
What do you notice? ✏️ What do you wonder? ✏️ What do you like or dislike?
Shimomura Crossing the Delaware
2010, acrylic on canvas, three panelsSmithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DCShimomura Crossing the Delaware
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Emanual Leutze, 1851, oil on canvasMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NYWashington Crossing the Delaware
Artist of the Week Roger Shimomura.pdfShimomura Worksheet
Shimomura Worksheet
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