Annual Report 2023

Dear friends,

Happy Year of the Dragon from the Japanese Arts Foundation! As the only mythical creature in the lunar 12 year cycle, the dragon shares this year with another fantastical figure...Godzilla. 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the Godzilla legacy. To celebrate this monumental year, we will be launching a series of events celebrating these two mythical powerhouses all year long, including a weeklong festival at the Music Box Theatre! Stay tuned for more!

As we reflect on the year just past, we can’t help but feel an overwhelming gratitude for everyone in the Japanese Arts Foundation community. The dedication and commitment of our board, staff, volunteers, and donors allowed us to not just cope, but adapt and improve during a tumultuous time.

The Japanese Arts Foundation proved itself to be creative, like the community we serve, who are always ready to learn from Japanese art despite barriers they may have faced. And we remained purposeful – laser-focused on our mission of creating inclusive and equitable opportunity, education, and support of Japanese arts thriving in Chicago’s diverse community and beyond. We celebrate the multitude of voices in our community exploring and expanding Japanese arts and culture.

We’re proud of what we accomplished this year, with your support:

  • Introduced our brand new space at 2940 N. Lincoln Avenue in partnership with the Japanese Culture Center

  • Held our second annual fundraising gala.

  • Opened our public Kizuna installation at the Whistler gallery.

  • Hosted more programs and artistic opportunities in a myriad of diverse communities across Chicago than ever before. We saw over 15 Chicago Public Schools and led workshops for nearly 600 K-12 students. 

  • Launched the first annual Toro Nagashi lantern ceremony welcoming nearly 700 visitors.

  • Our annual free programs in the Garden of the Phoenix hosted over 2,100 visitors.

  • Offered both in person and virtual learning opportunities, which thereby expanded our community to a global audience and met them exactly where they were. 

We hope you’ll enjoy this report and learning more about our work, our people, as well as the art and individuals we have been able to support.


Thank you for being with us on this journey.

In gratitude,

Saira Chambers Derrick Fields

Executive Director President

Events and Programs

We take great pride in the unique and diverse events and programs we bring to Chicagoland. We strive to imagine new and innovative ways to bridge Japanese art, history, and culture in the community. Every year these programs expand not only in number, but also geographically across the city. Here is a glimpse at just some the programs we hosted this year, and where we went!

Avondale

Kizuna & Kanpai at Ludlow Liquors with Get SuperHai and BeamSuntory

Jackson Park / Hyde Park (Garden of the Phoenix):

Kodomo no Hi

Hanami

Bon Odori dance courses at the Hyde Park Arts Center

BON Fest

Toro Nagashi

Tsukimi

Volunteer Days

Kintsugi Sidewalk Installation

Lakeview:

Ikebana Walk

Sip and Fold at Konbini & Kanpai 

Music Box Theatre Oppenheimer Opening Panels

Lincoln Park

DePaul University: Minamata Film Screening and Panel

Logan Square:

Kizuna installation at the Whistler Gallery

Film Screening Events at Logan Theatre

Melanated & Animated, Japanese Horror Fest

Festivals + Art and Culture Conventions:

Anime Central

C2E2

Lakeview Festival of the Arts

Belmont Sheffield Music Festival

Anime Magic

School Programs

Thanks to the strong partnerships we have made with Chicago Public Schools, Embarc, and My Block, My Hood, My City, we are able to regularly serve the Chicago K-12 learning community. This year we hosted 15 different schools, and taught Japanese art and culture workshops to over 300 students! The workshops we featured this year taught a myriad of Japanese arts to students, including calligraphy, haiku, origami, ikebana, animation, tea ceremony, and manga drawing.

Our Volunteers

Our work could not thrive without the generous support of our robust volunteer community! This year, we had the support of over 85 volunteers that gave their time and talents to JAF events and programs. We are proud to note that the majority of our volunteers are those who have attended our events and enjoyed them so much they wanted to be more involved in the work we do! We are extremely grateful for the hard work and passion our volunteers bring to the Japanese Arts Foundation community.

What do our volunteers typically do? Volunteer responsibilities typically include setting up for classes and events, helping out with promotion and outreach, and assisting with tabling and providing information about Japanese arts to the public.

"Working with the JAF has been such an incredible experience. I always feel well prepared and welcome volunteering at their many diverse events, even if it’s something I’ve never done before." -Nicole Labrie