2008.32.11

(mess hall dining, Tanforan Assembly Center, San Bruno, California)
1942
8.5 in HIGH x 12 in WIDE
(21.59 cm HIGH x 30.48 cm WIDE)
Gift of the Estate of the artist
2008.32.11

mat~acidic
"(Citizen 13660) page 39 Bedlam of hungry people / First day potato, corned hash, 2 slices bread." - written in graphite on backing board, BR. Oakland Museum exhibition label also on verso, TR containing typewritten version of written info.
TOM, "Mine Okubo: An American Experience," 1972.OMCA, Gallery of California Art, Open Space 1, "Min_ Okubo: Citizen 13660," May 1 - Aug. 1, 2010.

Black ink drawing on paper contains an image of men, women, and children standing in line to receive food on plates. Two men in chef's hats hand out pieces of food in the foreground and in the distance at upper right.

"At the dishware and the silverware counter I picked up a plate, a knife, and a fork. I wiped my plate clean with my handkerchief and held it out to the first of the cooks, who was serving boiled potatoes with his hands. The second cook had just dished out the last of the canned Vienna sausages, the main part of the dinner, so I passed by him and received two slices of bread from a girl at the end of the food counter.We were pushed into the mess hall, where the entire space was filled with long tables and backless benches. Each table was supposed to accommodate eight persons, but right now each was a bedlam of hungry people. We looked for an empty place but could find none. The air was stuffy and, having temporarily lost our appetites, we decided to forget about eating." (See p. 39, Citizen 13660 for variation of work)

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