About the Video Makers

Haruko Okano has been a practicing, professional artist in Vancouver since 1972. She has exhibited her works internationally which include multimedia installations and assemblages. She incorporates kinetic elements and viewer interaction into her pieces whi;e weaving in her political beliefs and personal experiences. She also creates portable murals and organizes community developed public art projects. She has participated in and facilitated several projects such as "zero consumption bridge," (concept by Ian Johnson, 1996) "Common Ground, Still Moves" (initiated by Sarah Link, 1994), and "Mt. Pleasant Community Fence", (with Pat Beaton, 1994, Vancouver, B.C.) and "Feathers of the Phoenix, Beyond 1992." She is also an advocate for artists¹ rights, cultural diversity and human rights.

Much of her childhood and family history was unknown to her until recently when she decided to piece together her past in order to apply for the Japanese Canadian Redress Movement.

In the spring of 1945 while the US was still at war with Japan, Haruko was born as an illegitamate only child of Mary Fujie Okano, a seamstress in Toronto. Because her natural father left the relationship with Mary Fujie and chose not take part in raising Haruko, her mother was left to support herself and her daughter virtually on her own. Due to a severely disabling arthritis, Mary Fujie was in and out of a nursing home, and was barely able to care for Haruko. In 1948, Mary Fujie married Fred Fune, a journalist working for a Japanese newspaper. However Fred Fune was unjustly detained in a prisoner-of-war camp under suspicion of espionage and was unable to provide for Haruko. After Mary Fujie's death when Haruko was 9 years old, she was made a permanent ward at Children's Aid Society of Metropolitan Toronto. From that point, Haruko was left to fend for herself in unsympathetic, post-war Canada while she was transferred from one foster home to another.

Throughout her childhood, Haruko witnessed and experienced emotional and physical abuse in foster homes. Isolated from other Asians and subjected to a racially hostile environment, her self-worth was diminished and her identity as a Japanese-Canadian woman sublimated as Haruko aspired to fit the Western ideals of beauty. She became emotionally and physically self-destructive and made numerous suicidal attempts. During her turbulent teenage years, Haruko met a genuinely concerned social worker, Marnie Bruce, who became her role model and offered her hope. Marnie Bruce identified her artistic potential and encouraged her to pursue art. Haruko followed her advice and studied art at Central Technical School in Toronto. Though a successful student, she became pregnant in 1964 before graduating. At that point, she decided to drop out of school in order to get married and raise her child.

However, she soon discovered that her husband was alcoholic and she became entangled in a physically and emotionally violent marriage for several years. Out of desparation, anguish, and isolation, Haruko made a number of attempts to end her life. As a result, she was admitted to a mental institution and treated with shock therapy. At one of her shock treatments, her heart stopped beating temporarily and she experienced a transformative near-death experience. Resolved to live and overcome her traumas, Haruko gathered her strength to "act sane" until she was eventually allowed to leave the mental institution. Later, at the expense of losing her contact with her children, she left her husband in order to escape her abusive relationship and moved to Vancouver, where she began new life as an artist.

Encouraged by the Redress movement organzied by Roy Miki and others in the late 80's, Haruko decided to apply for the Canadian government's compensation. This was the first time she identified herself with the other Japanese Canadians and recognized her right as a citizen of the country.

For the first time, Haruko saw her life "officially" validated, the day "a plain brown envelope" containing a check for $20,000 and a form letter of apology from the Canadian government was delivered to her house. This event marked a turning point in her life. Her newly acquired hope her to become an advocate for human rights, an artist with political vision, making an important contribution to the artists community in Vancouver.