This session explores a contested collection of Japanese American artifacts from incarceration collected by curator Allen Hendershott Eaton in 1945. In 2015, a public auction of these artifacts was halted by a grassroots protest that led to the acquisition by a community-based institution raising questions about authority, community, and provenance.

Chair: Clement Hanami, Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Shirley Ann Higuchi, Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, Powell, WY; Nancy Ukai, 50objects.org, Berkeley, CA