Photo: Kip Fulbeck

On Sunday, during the citywide MuseumsLA events, I took in LACMA's "In Violence We Forget Who We Are," followed by "part asian-100% hapa" at the Japanese-American National Museum, finishing up at the California African American Museum all-day event celebrating the life and legacy of Celia Cruz, accompanying the Smithsonian-curated exhibition currently on display.

The entire construction of who we are as human beings --not to mention Americans in the 21st century-- was thrown open to re-examination. The exhibition ought to be seen by everyone from kindergarten school-age child to adults who think their ideas about race and nationality are already irreversibly fixed.

If ever you have the chance to see Kip Fulbeck's exhibition, or any of his other works on identity, don't pass it up, especially if you think it doesn't apply to you. If you're on this planet, you should examine his work. As the United States population approaches the 300 million mark, it is imperative we get a more accurate appraisal of who we are as a people, even if we didn't have such an onerous cloud hanging over us in the eyes of the rest of the world.

For more information on Kip Fulbeck's work, there are two sites you can go to: http://www.discovernikkei.org/ or http://www.seaweedproductions.com.