Remember (Day of Exile 1942)
Permanent Installation at Ober Park
17130 Vashon Hwy SW #1608, Vashon, WA 98070
Public art memorial commissioned by Friends of Mukai installed at Ober Park, Vashon, WA.
Thank you to the Sakai and Matsuda families for sharing their stories.
Support provided by T-Mobile Hometown Grant, Friends of Mukai, Metal Creature, Vashon-Maury Heritage Museum and Vashon Park District.
Image: Remember (Day of Exile 1942) by Miya Sukune, 2026. Metal and granite.
The design was inspired by a photograph taken on May 16, 1942 - the day the Sakai family was forcibly removed from their Vashon Island home after the signing of Executive Order 9066.
That photograph became one of the central inspirations for this work.
When I look at that photograph, I think about the uncertainty of that moment. A family pausing for a photograph while preparing to leave their home without knowing when — or if — they would return.
The Sakai family’s generosity in sharing their story and this deeply vulnerable image made it possible to create a memorial grounded in personal history and lived experience. Their willingness to share that moment is an extraordinary gift to this community.