Cultural center in Little Tokyo announces new leadership

 

Cultural News, January 2007

 

 

Japanese American Cultural and Community Center’s new Board Chairperson Sandra Sakamoto and new Executive Director Christine Aihara. (Cultural News Photo)

 

 

By Takeshi Nakayama

 

     One of the oldest and largest ethnic cultural centers in the U.S., the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) in Los Angeles recently announced new staff and board leadership.

 

     Board Chairperson Sandra Sakamoto and Executive Director Christine Aihara stated that the JACCC will continue to focus its energy on Japanese and Japanese American arts and culture, at the same time, is interested in broadening its audiences, seeking opportunities to collaborate programmatically and looking to take programs out into the community-at-large.

 

    Born in Los Angeles and raised in Gardena, Sakamoto has served for more than 20 years on the board of the JACCC, and has extensive knowledge on the operations and programs of the center.

   “The organization has some financial challenges,” concedes Sakamoto, the recently retired Assistant General Counsel at AT&T’s Los Angeles legal department office.

 

    “It has been harder to sustain the center financially, due in part, to a decline in grant funding and increasing costs for operations and facilities,” she says.  “Revenues,” she adds, comes from many sources, including ticket sales, rental of facilities, individual contributions, membership, grants and foundation support.”

 

    “The board is responsible for setting the course and policy, helping to create the vision along with staff, and fund-raising,” she explains. “We hope to expand some programs to attract a broader audience, because the demographics of this area are changing. We think that Japanese and Japanese American culture and art are things that could appeal to a much broader audience as well.”

 

    Aihara, longtime staff member who assumed her new position Nov. 1, is the chief staff person, responsible for ensuring the achievement of the organization’s mission, fund development, and supervising and managing staff.  “I wanted to take this job because the future of the JACCC is very important to the future of Little Tokyo,” she says. “We as an organization are committed to Little Tokyo and to continuing our mission … being a cultural center, as well as a Japanese and Japanese American community center.”

 

     In keeping with that mission, in October 2007, the JACCC will coordinate the U.S. tour of Bunraku (classical Japanese puppet) performances from National Bunraku Theater of Japan.  The tour will include performances at U.C. Berkeley, University of Chicago, Yale and Harvard universities.  

 

    “This tour is an important cultural event and major undertaking, requiring extensive coordination and fundraising efforts,” Aihara states. “Bunraku has not been performed in the U.S. since 1988, so this is a great opportunity to bring something special to American audiences.”

 

    Japanese American Cultural and Community Center is located at 244 South San Pedro Street in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles, (213) 628-2725, www.jaccc.org.

 

    Takeshi Nakayama is a free-lance journalist who lives in Walnut, Calif. He has written articles for the Nikkei West, Nichi Bei Times, Gardena Valley News and many other publications.