Current Exhibits
Gaman: Enduring Japanese American Internment at Gila River
Feb. 4, 2025 – Jan. 26, 2026
During World War II, more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were ordered out of their homes and incarcerated at various internment camps across the western US. Near Chandler, the Gila River Internment Camp held 16,655. Their crime? Looking like the enemy.
This poignant exhibit highlights how the Japanese value gaman—enduring the seemingly impossible with patience and dignity—guided these American citizens’ experience of loss and incarceration in the Arizona desert.
- The Ireichō: Book of Names | Nov. 1
Pony Up! Cowgirls of Chandler
May 9, 2025 - Spring 2026
From ranch work to rodeo stardom, Arizona’s women have made their mark on horseback— defying gender barriers and earning respect along the way. Pony Up! Cowgirls of Chandler, features photographs, rodeo memorabilia, oral histories, and historical news articles that capture the spirit, skill, and determination of these trailblazing women.
Sonoran Shapes + Structures: Desert-Inspired Architecture and Design
Sept. 20, 2025 - Feb. 1, 2026
From the soil underfoot to the sky above, the desert offers inspiration to artists and architects. Learn how organic architecture is site-specific, designed to be at one with the land around it.
Explore interpretations of the desert landscape from practitioners like the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright, to those who followed and evolved the style, such as Paolo Soleri. After this primer, you’ll look at desert architecture with fresh eyes.
The Newest Americans: New Citizens Reflect on What America Means to Them
Sept. 30, 2025 - Jan. 18, 2026
Featuring portraits of recently naturalized U.S. citizens, The Newest Americans explores a wide range of immigrant experiences and the meaning of the American Dream. Personal stories, captured by writer Michael Estrin, accompany striking large-scale photographs taken by renowned artist Sam Comen. The Newest Americans inspires visitors to reflect on and take pride in America’s core values: diversity, freedom, and opportunity.
The Newest Americans, an exhibition from Sam Comen (photography) and Michael Estrin (reporting), is produced in partnership with The California Museum and traveled by Exhibit Envoy.
Upcoming Exhibits
Echoes Unearthed
Oct. 21, 2025 - March 29, 2026
For nearly 70 years, a collection of handwritten letters remained hidden within the walls of Denver’s former T.K. Pharmacy. The letters were mail-order requests from Japanese Americans held in War Relocation Authority incarceration camps during World War II.
Dean Terasaki, whose uncles owned the pharmacy, has traveled the west to photograph the historical sites to reunite the letters with the locations where they were written. Echoes Unearthed, a selection from his Veiled Inscriptions series, explores the layers of loss experienced by the Japanese American community during WWII and its lingering effects on today’s descendants.