We were pleased to be able to make the following gifts in 2010-2011.

To the survivors of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami

It was with great concern and disbelief in our hearts that we awoke to the news of the Tohoku earthquake and horrific tsunami on March 11, 2011. And it was with growing despair that we watched on TV the extent of the devastation and death that had occurred from the nuclear  plant with all of its ruinous ramifications. We bereaved for the loss and pain of the lives of millions of people in this region.

We too have known the debilitating effects of natural disaster. For six years ago, our own hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Eighty percent of the homes in our city were flooded, most people were evacuated, and there too, many lives were lost.
Miraculously, although much of our property sustained significant damage, our Japanese art collection was saved from the floodwaters. Now, six years after the hurricane our city has regained almost all of its original population and life has returned to normalcy.

And so, we recognize with heavy hurts and personal memories that more than a half-year since the earthquake and tsunami here in Tohoku, there is still much to be done to return to even basic stability. Although the situation in Northeastern Japan is beyond compare, having survived and contributed to the rebuilding of our own historic city, we are keenly aware of the importance of reviving cultural institutions and programs for the sake of the emotional and spiritual recovery of the region.

In that sense, we are honored to be able to share our collection, a source of beauty that provided so much light to us during our time of need, with the people of the Tohoku region here at the Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art. We hope that this exhibition of artworks that have survived centuries of conflict and natural disaster themselves will serve as a source of enjoyment as well as a form of encouragement amid your on-going efforts to rebuild. Finally, we offer this exhibition as a reminder of the great fondness and support we feel individually and as a nation for the Japanese people and culture even from halfway around the world.

Our warmest wishes and heartfelt support in your recovery efforts.

We are also very happy to announce that the venue at Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art in Fukushima City, which was originally scheduled for June 11-July 24 and postponed due to the Tohoku earthquake and nuclear disaster, has been rescheduled for October 29 to December 4, 2011. This will serve as the final venue of the five-city Japan tour of the collection. 

We were pleased to be able to make the following gifts in 2009.

Matsuzakaya Art Museum, Nagoya: September 11–October 17, 2010

Chiba City Museum of Art: December 14, 2010–January 23, 2011

Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art: February 5–March 27, 2011

Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art: June 11–July 24, 2011  — rescheduled

The Museum of Kyoto: August 27–October 16, 2011

Additional details of the exhibition will be posted as they are confirmed.

This grant will allow the Center to implement a Japanese art speaker/workshop series inviting internationally recognized specialists in Japanese art to speak to carefully selected audiences identified from within the New Orleans community as part of a larger strategic plan of targeted outreach aimed at integrating the study and appreciation of Japanese art within the curriculum of cultural institutions in New Orleans and beyond. Particular attention will be directed to local high school teachers and their students.
 
We would like to express our gratitude to the United States-Japan Foundation for the opportunity to pursue this project. More information about the individual programs will be forthcoming.

Greeting cards and journal featuring Gitter-Yelen Collection Zen paintings and quotes by Shunryu Suzuki are also available through this site.