Artwork copyright Roger Shimomura. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Roger Shimomura. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Roger Shimomura. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Roger Shimomura. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Roger Shimomura. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Roger Shimomura. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Roger Shimomura. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Roger Shimomura. Photo courtesy of the artist.

An American Neighborhood, 1997

Roger Shimomura
American (born 1939)

Location: Southridge High School, Kennewick

About the Artwork

Roger Shimomura created the six-paneled, 36 foot long painting An American Neighborhood for Southridge High School in Kennewick, Southeastern Washington. Shimomura describes the artwork as a powerful investigation into how stereotypes, conformity, and customs impact "our country's advancement towards a more diverse and equitable, multicultural society." He continues, "It is my hope that this mural suggests a visual forum upon which this topic might be continually discussed and debated." In the painting, he has combined modern American culture and traditional Japanese figures. It raises questions about prejudice, expectations, and bias. How do cultures blend with and borrow from each other? What is cultural exclusion? What is an American? What does it take to assimilate? In response to the artwork installation, the Tri-Cities Japanese-American Community compiled and donated new curriculum and reference materials. These were designed to assist students in understanding both the artwork and the Japanese-American experience in the U.S.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Kennewick School District.

About the Artist

Celebrated artist Roger Shimomura creates thought-provoking paintings, prints, and performance pieces. His art practice investigates identities and stereotypes, especially as a person who was born and raised in the U.S. and is Asian American.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Shimomura spent two early years of his childhood imprisoned in Minidoka, Idaho, in a World War II Japanese-American internment camp in the 1940s. His family later returned to Seattle. Shimomura was a distinguished military graduate from the University of Washington, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in commercial design. He served in the Korean War (1950-53). In 1967, he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University in New York state.
Shimomura was a professor of art at the University of Kansas, Lawrence for 35 years until 2004. He was honored with a Kansas Governor’s Arts Award in 2008. His artworks are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Smithsonian Museum of American Art (Washington D.C.), the National Portrait Gallery (Washington D.C.), and more. His personal papers are being collected by the Smithsonian Institution.