The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, a Smithsonian affiliate, works to preserve what remains of the World War II Japanese American confinement site in Park County, Wyoming and to tell the stories of the more than 14,000 people unjustly incarcerated at the site.
Dr. Aura Sunada Newlin, the Executive Director of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, and Michael Chikuzen Gould, an internationally acclaimed musician and grand master of the shakuhachi, a Japanese flute, will be conducting a residency at the Library exploring the history of Japanese American wartime experiences and celebrating Japanese arts and culture.
Japanese Arts and Culture
Engaging Children and Families: Shakuhachi Music Performance and Presentation
Presented by Michael Chikuzen Gould
Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.
Main Library Multipurpose Room
Join Michael Chikuzen Gould in this presentation that will feature Japanese children’s songs and folk songs, along with a demonstration of the shakuhachi musical instrument itself: how it is played, its colorful samurai history and how it is made.
Converting a raw piece of bamboo into a musical instrument is a fascinating process, and youth and families will enjoy learning about it.
Japanese American Wartime Experiences
The World War II Imprisonment of Japanese Americans: Heart Mountain and Beyond
Presented by Dr. Aura Sunada Newlin
Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
Main Library Auditorium
Dr. Newlin is a fourth-generation Japanese American whose heritage involves intertwined stories of imprisonment at Heart Mountain and Tule Lake, segregated military service, and hardships suffered by railroaders who were fired because of their Japanese ancestry.
Join Dr. Newlin as she shares stories of her relatives who were incarcerated at Heart Mountain, and connects the incarceration history to northeast Ohio, where many Japanese Americans settled after the war.
Japanese Arts and Culture
Music Concert: Shakuhachi
Presented by Michael Chikuzen Gould,
Grand Master of Shakuhachi
Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.
Main Library Auditorium
Join Shakuhachi Grand Master Michael Chikuzen Gould in this concert that will include various genres of Japanese flute music, including nature-inspired songs, temple songs from the Zen Buddhist tradition and minyo folk songs.
Mr. Gould will discuss the history and philosophy of the instrument and also talk about how shakuhachi and other traditional instruments were played at the incarceration camps during World War II.
Although this concert is oriented toward adults, patrons and guests of all ages are welcome.
Children, youth and families are all welcome to attend these exciting and informative programs. Download a pdf of the program guide to browse related events.