Join us in honoring the memory of longtime California Humanities’ Board Member and Chair Nancy Hatamiya, who passed away in 2012.
Former California Humanities Board Chair Nancy Kikuko Hatamiya displayed a passion and enthusiasm for public service, an abiding devotion to her community, and boundless energy that touched and inspired everyone around her. In recognition of her extraordinary service to California Humanities, we honor her legacy with the Nancy Hatamiya Arts & Humanities Fund, in support of projects that promote the humanities though the visual and performing arts.
In talking with the Hatamiya family about this fund, Nancy’s sons Jon and George, now both in their twenties, had stories to share about how their mother’s passion for the arts and humanities has enriched their lives.
“My mom was not only one of the kindest, smartest, and genuine people you could ever meet, but was always perceptive and dedicated to finding the inherent positive connections between all of us that are drawn out through the creative process. She understood and taught me that through the arts and humanities people can tell and document their own stories while they connect and begin to understand those stories of everyone around them. It is exactly these positive human connections that my mom dedicated her life and her passion to everyday that made a lasting impact on everyone she knew.” – George Hatamiya
“My mom always believed in the arts and humanities as integral vehicles for interpersonal understanding and cultural dialogue. Her enthusiasm has inspired me as a musician to seek those points of intersection between the arts and humanities and pursue the same values in my own career. I am thrilled that the memorial fund will honor her legacy by helping to provide the means for others to tell their unique stories as well!” – Jon Hatamiya
The Arts & Humanities strand of California Humanities’ Humanities for All Quick Grants will launch in 2018. We look forward to reaching a new pool of applicants and to supporting projects that highlight those important connections between the arts and humanities that were so central to Nancy’s life.
Please help us honor Nancy’s memory as we build this fund in order to provide more opportunities for artists and audiences throughout California. Your contribution of any size is 100% tax deductible and will be earmarked for this special program.
In addition to her service with California Humanities, Nancy Hatamiya cherished her family and community and devoted her life to public service, working primarily on policies related to children, families, civil rights, and education. Read her story here.
