Roger Shimomura
‍Block Dance Break #1

• With one hand on her hip and her eyes gazing directly towards the viewer, what can we discover about this woman by looking at her portrait? How would you describe her facial expression and body language? What might be her backstory?

Artist Roger Shimomura created this painting from a memory. Shimomura was only three years old when his family entered the Minidoka Relocation Center in Hunt, Idaho, during World War II. He draws on a mixture of his own memory, public archives, and his grandmother’s diaries to represent the experiences of internment, including social events of camp sections, or “blocks.” The Block Dance was a favorite memory which Shimomura expressed by making imprisonment the backdrop to the joy of a bright, bold floral dress and an attitude of confidence and perseverance.

• What does this painting and the story of its creation reveal about life in internment camps?
• Can you identify groups that are singled out or treated differently by society today? Why do you think that happens? What does it look like when everyone is treated equally?