My Mother's Baggage:
Lucky Daughter

My Mother's Baggage:
Paper Sister/Paper Aunt/
Paper Wife

1942: Luggage From
Home To Camp

For the collaborative exhibition between the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) and Flo Oy Wong, Flo brought to JAMsj her extraordinary artistic talent, her knowledge of the experiences of Chinese immigrants, and her boundless energy. She is a rare individual — someone who is artistically creative, with a great sense of style who can, with equal facility, attend to and resolve the real world issues of schedules, fundraising, budget constraints, and project coordination. Working with Flo has been a pleasure as well as a valuable learning experience for me.

Joseph Y. Yasutake, Ph. D.
President, JAMsj
Co-Project Director

Flo Oy Wong is an artist with a remarkable gift for uncovering and telling stories that have never been told before-stories of ordinary people with extraordinary lives. Wong's most recent project, 1942: Luggage From Home To Camp, demonstrates her ability to fuse her individual artistic vision with community history and is typical of her most successful endeavors.

Krissy Kim Curator Japanese American National Museum

Luggage From Home To Camp 2003

1942: Luggage From Home To Camp, 2003, 20' x 20',
mixed media: barrack, suitcases, windows, potbelly stove

Esau Shimizu suitcase, 2003, 14" x 21" x 7", mixed media - books, photos, thread, mirror

Elsie Mayeda Honda's suitcase, 2003, 13" x 26" x 9", mixed media - drawing, photos, mirror, pattern

Eiichi Sakauye suitcase, 2003, 15" x 22" x 7", mixed media - pocketknife, miniature basket, photos, magazines

Dave Sakai suitcase, 2003, 13" x 25" x 10", mixed media - mirrors, photos, fountain pen, postcards

Sakai detail

Masao Yamano Shiotsuka suitcase detail

Lola Tanaka Abe suitcase detail