SOLD OUT – LECTURE – Six Weddings & A Dress

This program is SOLD OUT.

Pasadena Public Library is one of seventy-five non-profit organizations nationwide to receive funding to host the NEA Big Read. PPL is inviting everyone in the community to read the book, “When the Emperor Was Divine” by Julia Otsuka. This book explores the experiences of a Japanese American family during World War II.

In support of the NEA Big Read, PMH will host a unique program that connects Pasadena to this period in our nation’s history. Wendy Anderson, founder and producer of the popular Cherry Blossom Festival, will present Six Weddings & A Dress, the amazing true story of a wedding dress originally made for Chiyomi Ogawa while she was held captive in the Manzanar Internment Camp. After World War II, Ogawa’s dress was passed along to grace five Japanese American brides who had relocated to Pasadena to rebuild their lives. A short film by Steve Nagano about this special wedding dress will be shown. The evening also offers a rare opportunity to meet Chiyomi Ogawa in person. PMH will showcase materials from the Museum’s archives related to this story including oral histories, photos, and ephemera.

Image: Chiyomi and Kaz Ogawa wedding portrait; Courtesy of Toyo Miyatake Studio.