Delphine Hirasuna talked about her book The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps, 1942-1946 and the exhibit based on it held at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery March 5, 2010.
Ms. Hirasuna's parents were interred in a camp during World War II and her discovery of a carved wooden bird pin led her to seek other objects made in the camps by internees. "Gaman" is a Japanese word for endurance with grace and dignity in the face of what seems unbearable. Objects in the exhibit were shown as well as photographs and video clips of the internment camps from the 1944 United States War Relocation Authority film, "A Challenge to Democracy."