Willa’s Response to Immigrant Experience

My proposed project speaks to the “Immigrant Experience” through my eyes as the descendant of an immigrant from Japan. Although my project focuses on the personal belongings of one person, these objects carry with them a story that I think many immigrants share. I am concentrating mainly on the idea of passage from one place to another and being welcomed (or not). The concept of “American Identity” is very important in my work. I think it is something that we all struggle in finding no matter where we were born. Because I was born in the US and I have such a mixed cultural background, I think of myself as American. Many people won’t accept this. They want to know “but where are you from??” It is not that I want to deny my heritage, but sometimes it is just easier to be American. And I was raised American. I have bits and pieces from other cultures, but I feel that they do not define who I am. My grandmother on the other hand, did at some points want to deny her heritage. She wanted so much to be an American, whatever that meant.