Challenges of Anti-Japanese Sentiment: Navigating a Hostile Landscape
As Hayakawa’s artistic career flourished, the social and political environment in the United States grew increasingly hostile toward Japanese Americans. The Immigration Act of 1924 had already stopped Japanese immigration to the U.S., but by the late 1930s, tensions between the U.S. and Japan rose further as Japan expanded its military presence in Asia. This geopolitical conflict fueled anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States, which only intensified after Japan’s invasion of China in 1937 and later, the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
For Japanese Americans like Hayakawa, the growing nativism and xenophobia of the period were deeply unsettling. Despite having lived in the U.S. for decades, many Japanese immigrants and their American-born children faced mounting suspicion and discrimination. This culminated in the signing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, which led to the forced relocation and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast.
While Hayakawa’s parents were incarcerated at the Topaz concentration camp in Utah, Hayakawa made the difficult decision to leave her thriving artistic community in San Francisco and relocate to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1942. The move, though voluntary, was still a form of exile. Hayakawa’s departure from California marked a significant turning point in her life, as she was forced to leave behind not only her career but also the personal and professional connections she had built over the years.
The wartime atmosphere of suspicion and fear undoubtedly affected Hayakawa, both personally and professionally. The trauma of being uprooted from her home, coupled with the knowledge that her parents and friends were living under harsh conditions in concentration camps, must have weighed heavily on her. Nevertheless, Hayakawa demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of these challenges, continuing to pursue her art even as the world around her was fraught with uncertainty.
Santa Fe and Hayakawa’s Later Years: A New Art Community
In Santa Fe, Hayakawa quickly found her place within the local art scene with help from her friends. She exhibited regularly at the New Mexico Museum of Art from 1943 to 1948, and in 1944, she was honored with a solo exhibition.
Santa Fe, known for its vibrant community of artists, offered Hayakawa a sense of stability and support during a tumultuous time in her life. She formed a collective with local artists, organized weekly sketching sessions, and became a beloved figure in the community—respected not only for her artistic talent but also for her gracious personality. Wang quotes her friend, William Ford, who painted her portrait in 1947, described her as “a warm, vivacious... tiny, attractive woman who consistently went out of her way” for others.
Her paintings from this period reflect her adaptability and resilience. While portraiture remained a central focus of her work, she also began exploring landscapes, particularly the distinctive New Mexican scenery. A 1944 review in The Santa Fe New Mexican praised her landscapes for their “quiet strength,” noting how her subjects seemed to “come alive on the canvas, as if she were painting not just their likeness, but their spirit.”
Works like Cristo Rey Church (1944) demonstrate her ability to capture the serene beauty of the Southwest, imbuing her landscapes with a quiet strength and optimism. Even in the face of personal and societal upheaval, Hayakawa’s art remained a testament to her enduring spirit.
In 1947, Hayakawa married fellow artist Preston McCrossen, who had been active in the San Francisco art scene during the 1920s and 1930s. Some have speculated that McCrossen may have influenced Hayakawa’s decision to move to Santa Fe, though this remains uncertain.
Unfortunately, Hayakawa’s life was cut short in 1953 after a prolonged illness. She passed away in Santa Fe, leaving behind a legacy of artistic achievement and personal resilience. Though her career was relatively brief, her impact on California modernism and her contributions to American art deserve to be remembered.
Conclusion: A Lasting Legacy
As scholars, art institutions, and private collectors work to preserve and celebrate her legacy, Miki Hayakawa’s place in the history of American art is finally receiving the recognition it deserves. Hayakawa’s art is beginning to be studied and admired for its depth and beauty, and her life serves as enduring inspiration to artists, particularly Asian American artists, and all who value the universally profound impact of cultural and personal resilience.
Dr. ShiPu Wang points out how Hayakawa’s art challenged and broadened understandings of race and representation in American art. He points to Portrait of a Negro and other portraits by Hayakawa as examples that suggest a broader effort by minority artists to portray “the other” in a dignified manner, thus reclaiming marginalized identities.
Dr. Wang also emphasizes the indispensable efforts of collectors and archivists that make rediscovering and retelling these “forgotten” artists’ stories possible. For example, Richard Sakai, a major collector of works by Nikkei and other Asian American artists, counts more than 60 works by Hayakawa among his collection. Marian Yoshiki-Kovinick, a Nisei and longtime researcher and archivist, generously shared with Dr. Wang her rich and helpful research files assembled through many decades of primary research.
Pictures of Belonging Exhibition
The current traveling exhibition Pictures of Belonging, organized by the Japanese American National Museum, opened at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art on November 15. The exhibition is an exploration into the careers of three pioneering American women of Japanese heritage, including Hayakawa, highlighting their significant contributions to American art and claiming their rightful place in its history. Exhibition curator Dr. ShiPu Wang explains the inclusion of Hayakawa this way:
“Hayakawa was in fact an artist whose work and talent were recognized by her contemporaries in California, evidenced by the numerous prizes she won throughout the interwar decades.... By highlighting Hayakawa’s career, along with those of Hisako Hibi and Miné Okubo, Pictures of Belonging hopes to direct more attention toward these artists’ rich and diverse bodies of work that belong in and enriches the broader history of California and American art. And this exhibition will hopefully generate more interest in these artists that leads to new rediscoveries of their ‘lost’ works.”
Miki Hayakawa’s life and art exemplify the courage and determination required to navigate the complexities of being both an artist and an immigrant in early twentieth-century America. Her portraits, filled with empathy and insight, offer a profound exploration of identity, culture, and the human condition. As a Japanese American woman, she faced both personal and societal challenges, yet her art transcended these barriers, speaking to universal themes of resilience, dignity, and self-expression. Her story serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring impact of cultural resilience and the transformative power of art.
© 2024 Masako Hashigami Shinn
