After the Second World War, when Japanese-Americans were liberated from internment camps with $25 dollars in their pockets, they still faced distrust. As the country surfed through the prosperous 50s and into the 60s, the exclusion of these citizens continued. But around that time, American museums began to buy their ceramics. Collectors were attracted to Shigaraki ware—objects with rough clay surfaces, earthy tones, and natural ash glazes—and the art form fit with the trend of postwar austerity. As attitudes across the country shifted, Shigaraki ware became a “soft power.” The Pacific isle went from sworn enemy to peaceful Cold War ally. This exhibition examines these objects and their influence on global relations. —Elena Clavarino