TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse City will host its 4th annual Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month celebration on May 13 at the Dennos Museum Center, featuring local AAPI-owned restaurants and a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Taro Yamasaki.
According to an April 25 news release, he event is backed by donations from Northern Michigan E3, City of Traverse City Human Rights Commission, Northwestern Michigan College Library, Dennos Museum Center, Traverse Area District Library, and community volunteers.
Join local AAPI-owned restaurants at 5 p.m. for free light bites, followed by a 6 p.m. conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Taro Yamasaki. Sakura Takano, CEO of Rotary Charities of Traverse City, will be in conversation with Yamasaki about his over 45-year career, telling the devastating human stories of communities ravaged by war, disease, natural disasters, and the cruelty of tyrants.
In 2023, 109 of these photographs were acquired by the Library of Congress for its permanent collection. Yamasaki has also photographed architecture throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia (resulting in two folio size books) and has spent 3 semesters teaching documentary photography at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design (now the Penny Stamps School of Art and Design), the last two as the “Distinguished Visiting Artist in Residence.”
The first Traverse City AAPI-Month events arose from the grief and shock following a national wave of anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response, local Asian-American community members, leaders, educators, business owners, and advocates gathered to mourn, find community, and build greater understanding and empathy for people of different cultural backgrounds through positive engagement and collaborative dialogue.
This event is capped at 250 attendees. Register for free tickets on the Events/Community Programs page at dennosmuseum.org or by clicking directly on the link here.