CHANDLER, Ariz. – Back by popular demand, Chandler Museum presents “Gaman: Enduring Japanese American Internment at Gila River,” an exhibit on the history of the Gila River Internment Camp, which was located only a few miles away from Chandler. This exhibit is an updated version of the show of the same name that was on view from Jan. 2019 to March 2020.
During World War II over 120,00 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes, simply because they looked like the enemy. More than 16,000 of them were incarcerated at the Gila River Internment Camp near Chandler. This poignant exhibit demonstrates how the Japanese value gaman, enduring the seemingly impossible with patience and dignity, guided these American citizens, through loss and incarceration in the Arizona desert. See the photos, hear the stories, read the names of incarcerees, and view the community-contributed paper cranes in this transformative exhibition.
“The Japanese Americans who were incarcerated at this camp embraced gaman,” says Chandler Museum Administrator Jody Crago. “They worked at jobs, organized schools and community events, created art, personalized their living quarters, made furniture, created baseball leagues and did what they could to make some semblance of normalcy amidst the very real uncertainty of being incarcerated by their own country, during a time of war.”
About the experience of visiting the exhibition, Museum Curator Kristine Clark, says, “While a number like 16,655 can feel so overwhelming, the exhibition includes excerpts from oral histories to help bring individuals’ stories to the forefront. It’s powerful to read about this history in the words of those who lived it.”
Join the museum for the following public program related to the exhibition. Additional programs are currently being planned for the rest of the exhibition’s run:
- Our Stories
Saturday, May 3, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
“Baseball Behind Barbed Wire” presented by Bill Staples, Jr.
In addition, Chandler Museum has also partnered with the Japanese American Citizens League – Arizona Chapter (JACL-AZ) to run an essay contest. This contest is open to all students in 4th-12th grade who visit Gaman or are members of JACL-AZ. The contest runs through April 30. More information can be found at JACL-AZ Essay Challenge.
“Gaman: Enduring Japanese American Internment at Gila River” is open now and will be on view through Jan. 26, 2026, at the Chandler Museum. The Chandler Museum is located at 300 S. Chandler Village Drive. It is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m. and closed on Mondays. Admission is free.
Find more information on the exhibitions and programming online at Chandler Museum or call 480-782-2717.
Chandler Museum is an innovative learning environment where the community comes together to share our stories, store our cultural heritage, and experience Chandler as a people and place. The vision of the Museum is to be the community’s principal resource to explore its people’s history, culture, and place in a rapidly changing world of today – within and without the walls of a building. Find more information online at Chandler Museum.
Media contact:
Rebecca Vega
Chandler Museum Marketing and Volunteer Coordinator
480-782-2879