Works of Jan and Chris Hopkins convey some of history’s most powerful Japanese-American stories through their mastery of illustration. The couple, whose work is currently on display in “Americans Interned: A Family’s Story of Social Injustice,” are the 2018 Schack Art Center’s Artists of the Year. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Works of Jan and Chris Hopkins convey some of history’s most powerful Japanese-American stories through their mastery of illustration. The couple, whose work is currently on display in “Americans Interned: A Family’s Story of Social Injustice,” are the 2018 Schack Art Center’s Artists of the Year. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

‘Crying’: Visitors reflect on ‘Americans Interned’ exhibit

Thousands have seen the artwork on the internment of Japanese-Americans at the Schack.

Since its opening on June 14, some 3,000 people have visited the Schack Art Center’s exhibit “Americans Interned,” portraying some of the experiences of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

The power of the works by Everett artists Jan and Chris Hopkins is measured in part by some of the messages written in a guest book by those who have seen the exhibit.

“Our parents’ families were at Minidoka,” referring to the Idaho site where more than 9,000 Japanese-Americans were imprisoned, wrote someone with family ties to Bainbridge Island.

Another wrote: “Thank you for this moving, powerful exhibit.”

One entry is a single word: “Crying.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Some visitors seem to pause at the images far longer than typical in art museums, perhaps reflecting both on the history of the time as well as the artwork.

Chris and Jan Hopkins look over some of the work they have on display in “Americans Interned” at the Schack Art Center in Everett. The renowned couple were named the Schack Art Center’s 2018 Artists of the Year. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Chris and Jan Hopkins look over some of the work they have on display in “Americans Interned” at the Schack Art Center in Everett. The renowned couple were named the Schack Art Center’s 2018 Artists of the Year. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

“So many people feel the need to stop and say how it has touched them,” said Linda Nelson, who works in the art center’s gift shop. Some have said they have family members who were affected by being forcibly removed from their homes.

People from as far away as Hawaii and Virginia have come to the exhibit. “They’re bringing their kids. They want them to see this,” she said.

What they experience is a variety of images, evoking a time forgotten by some, unknown to others.

There is Chris Hopkins’ portraits of the Japanese-American soldiers who served in the Army’s famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team. With 21 Medal of Honor winners, it was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service.

“Rolling Toward the Unknown,” is his portrait of people waiting to be transported to the internment camps.

The exhibit includes a display with an example of the bare wooden barracks they were housed in and a video on Minidoka.

One of Chris Hopkins’ portraits shows a young boy hugging his dog before their forced separation. Pets were not allowed in the camps.

At the Schack Art Center, co-Artist of the Year Jan Hopkins looks over her “Americans Interned” artwork. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

At the Schack Art Center, co-Artist of the Year Jan Hopkins looks over her “Americans Interned” artwork. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

A sculpture by Jan Hopkins, “Paper Dolls,” tells the story in searing images of a family member who changed her identity, not just during the war, but for her lifetime.

The portrait is of her cousin Ellen, who for all of her life was afraid to admit she was Japanese. “To her dying day, she wouldn’t tell anybody,” Jan Hopkins said.

The sculpture includes a copy of Executive Order 9066 authorizing the evacuation of Japanese citizens. And there’s a copy of her cousin’s falsified birth certificate, claiming Latino descent and that her mother’s last name was Torres.

She worked for the federal government in a time of war. “Her biggest fear was that she could be prosecuted,” Jan Hopkins said.

The piece, wrapped in a hornet’s nest, is laced with symbolism. On one side of the image she is dressed in clothes with a Latino flare.

“That’s why I called it ‘Paper Dolls,’ ” Jan Hopkins said.

Her own parents never talked about their time in the internment camps until after the government issued an apology in 1988 and paid $20,000 in reparations to Japanese-Americans.

“They didn’t want to talk about it because it was so humiliating to them,” she said.

When internees were allowed to leave the camps, they were given $25.

It didn’t get them very far in trying to rebuild their lives. “My parents were young. The loss wasn’t as great as for their parents.”

After the war, her parents tried to keep quiet and “be part of the landscape,” she said. They lived their lives with the unspoken motto: “Don’t rock the boat.”

The psychological aftershocks lasted for years. Yet her father wasn’t embittered or angry about it, she said.

“He told me that was in the past. He felt it was time to move on.”

The Hopkinses decided to collaborate on the artwork that would turn into the Schack’s exhibit about five years ago. Chris Hopkins was drawn to learning more about the history of the time. The faces of family members are used in some of his portraits. His wife wanted to know more about her family’s experiences.

Art can be a powerful tool of communication, he said. But those who think the show was specifically timed to coincide with current events are missing the point. The timing is pure happenstance, he said.

“I’m not an an activist, I’m a historian,” he said. The point of the exhibit was doing something important and getting people to think.

Its lessons are left up to you — “what you take away with it.”

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.

If you go

Americans Interned: A Family’s Story of Social Injustice,” an exhibit of 34 oil paintings, Sumi ink block prints and graphite drawings by Everett artists Jan and Chris Hopkins, is on display at the Schack Art Center through Sept. 1 in the main gallery at the Schack Art Center, 2921 Hoyt Ave., Everett. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 425-259-5050 or go to www.schack.org for more.

The Pine and the Cherry,” a talk on Japanese-Americans in Washington by author Mayumi Tsutakawa, is scheduled for 2 p.m. July 29 at the Schack. She will speak about her family’s history, including their internment during World War II.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

Audi SQ8 Wows In Motion Or At Rest. Photo provided by Audi America MediaCenter.
2025 Audi SQ8 Is A Luxury, Hot Rod, SUV

500 Horsepower and 4.0-Second, 0-To-60 MPH Speed

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Ellis Johnson, 16, left, and brother Garrett Johnson, 13, take a breather after trying to find enough water to skim board on without sinking into the sand during opening day of Jetty Island on Friday, July 5, 2019 in Everett, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Epic ways to spice up your summer

Your ultimate guide to adventure, fun and reader-approved favorites!

Everett High School graduate Gwen Bundy high fives students at her former grade school Whittier Elementary during their grad walk on Thursday, June 12, 2018 in Everett, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Literally the best’: Grads celebrated at Everett elementary school

Children at Whittier Elementary cheered on local high school graduates as part of an annual tradition.

A bear rests in a tree in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. (U.S. Forest Service)
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest transitioning to cashless collections on June 21

The Forest Service urges visitors to download the app and set up payments before venturing out to trailheads and recreation sites.

The 2025 Jeep Gladiator pickup, in one of its more outrageous colors (Provided by Jeep).
2025 Jeep Gladiator is a true truck

The only 4x4 pickup with open-air abilities, Gladiator is more than a Wrangler with a bed.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.