The exhibition, housed in the museum’s back gallery, features the students’ work alongside a zine that ties the past to contemporary civil liberty concerns and the artists’ personal experiences
The Venice Heritage Museum, in collaboration with Venice Arts, is running “Buried Years,” a poignant exhibition by advanced photography students, through June. The event showcases artwork born from a 24-week project exploring the forced removal and internment of Japanese Americans in Los Angeles during World War II.
In the 2024-25 academic year, students delved into archival materials, visited historical sites, and conducted interviews to inform their creative responses. Their journey included a trip along the same route taken by internees from the Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument—located blocks from the Venice Arts campus—to the Manzanar internment camp in the Eastern Sierras. The students stayed overnight at the National Historic Site, capturing photographs that reflect this history.
The exhibition, housed in the museum’s back gallery, features the students’ work alongside a zine that ties the past to contemporary civil liberty concerns and the artists’ personal experiences. The project highlights the monument as a departure point for internees, offering a tangible link to a dark chapter in local history.
The opening is free and open to the public, with details available at veniceheritagemuseum.org.
