Frequently Asked Questions

Masumi Hayashi (1945-2006) was a Japanese-American artist and photographer renowned for her panoramic photo-collages documenting Japanese American internment camps and other sites of social, political, and historical significance. Born in Los Angeles during World War II, she was incarcerated as an infant at Gila River internment camp with her family. She served as Professor of Art at Cleveland State University from 1987 until her death in 2006. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in major museum collections including SFMOMA, the Smithsonian, and the Japanese American National Museum.

A panoramic photo-collage is Masumi Hayashi's signature artistic technique that combines multiple photographs taken from a single vantage point into a unified panoramic image. Unlike traditional panoramic photography which uses a rotating camera to capture a seamless view, Hayashi would take dozens or even hundreds of individual photographs while standing in one spot and rotating her body. She then meticulously hand-assembled these prints in the darkroom, creating large-scale composite images (often 30x90 inches or larger) that reflect both the physical space and the temporal experience of viewing it. The visible seams and overlaps in her collages are intentional, creating a unique visual rhythm that reflects human perception and memory more than mechanical precision.

Having been incarcerated at Gila River internment camp as an infant during World War II, Hayashi had a deeply personal connection to this history. Beginning in the 1990s, she embarked on a systematic documentation project to photograph all ten major War Relocation Authority camps before the sites disappeared entirely. Her work serves multiple purposes: as historical documentation of these rapidly deteriorating sites, as artistic meditation on memory and erasure, and as educational tool to ensure this violation of civil liberties is not forgotten. Through her panoramic photo-collages, she captured both the physical remnants and the emotional resonance of places where 120,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated during World War II. Her internment camp series is considered one of the most important artistic documents of this historical period.

Masumi Hayashi's work is held in numerous prestigious public collections including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Japanese American National Museum, the Library of Congress, and the George Eastman Museum. Her work is frequently exhibited in museums and galleries focusing on American history, photography, and social justice. The Masumi Hayashi Foundation coordinates exhibition loans and can provide information about current and upcoming exhibitions. Digital reproductions of selected works are available for viewing on this website, and high-resolution images can be licensed for educational and publication purposes through the Foundation.

Yes. The Masumi Hayashi Foundation manages all licensing and reproduction rights for Masumi Hayashi's photographic works. We offer several options: (1) Educational institutions and non-profit organizations can license images for educational use, publications, and exhibitions. (2) Commercial publishers can license images for books, magazines, documentaries, and other media. (3) Museums and galleries can arrange exhibition loans of original works. (4) Limited edition fine art prints are available for selected works. All licensing requests help support the Foundation's mission to preserve and share Hayashi's artistic legacy. Please contact us through our website to discuss your specific needs and obtain pricing information.

Throughout her four-decade career, Masumi Hayashi created extensive photographic series documenting various sites of social, environmental, and historical significance. Major bodies of work include: (1) Toxic Waste Sites - EPA Superfund sites across America, exploring environmental justice and industrial contamination. (2) Abandoned Industrial Sites - closed factories, steel mills, and manufacturing facilities, particularly in the American Rust Belt. (3) American Roadside Vernacular - motels, diners, and commercial architecture along American highways. (4) Public Housing Projects - documenting both historic and contemporary public housing developments. (5) Prisons and Correctional Facilities - exploring themes of incarceration and institutional architecture. Each series reflects her consistent interest in places that embody larger social issues and historical memory.

The Masumi Hayashi Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that relies on donations, grants, and licensing fees to preserve and promote Masumi Hayashi's artistic legacy. You can support our work in several ways: (1) Make a tax-deductible donation through our website to support archive preservation, exhibition organization, and educational programs. (2) Share our resources with educators, students, historians, and anyone interested in photography, Japanese American history, or social justice art. (3) Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) and help spread awareness of Hayashi's work. (4) If you are a museum curator, educator, or researcher, consider featuring Hayashi's work in exhibitions, publications, or curricula. (5) Attend exhibitions of her work and encourage your local museums to show her photographs. Every contribution helps ensure that Hayashi's important documentation of civil liberties, environmental justice, and American history continues to educate and inspire future generations.