Japanese American National Museum to reopen renovated Pavilion in 2027

The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) has announced that its renovated Pavilion will reopen on January 23, 2027. The facility has been closed for renovations since January 2024.

The redesigned Pavilion will feature new first-floor galleries hosting the core exhibition, ‘In the Future We Call Now: Realities of Racism, Forging Democracy.’ This exhibition will examine 160 years of Japanese American history, including prewar immigration, World War II incarceration, and the Asian American movement. It will include a restored barrack from the Heart Mountain incarceration camp.

Additional upgrades include: • Second-floor galleries featuring the inaugural special exhibition, ‘Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo.’ • The Hirasaki National Resource Center, offering archival viewing and art from the permanent collection. • The Kosasa Education Center, which will include two new classrooms. • An upgraded HVAC system designed to preserve the museum’s collection of over 160,000 artifacts.

President and CEO Ann Burroughs stated that the reopening marks a new era for the museum, aiming to connect Japanese American stories to contemporary issues and serve as a beacon for civil rights.