Kibō Nobori
Spring 2026 - JACCC
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KIBŌ NOBORI
In Japanese, kibō means “hope” and nobori means “flags” or “banners.” Through Kibō Nobori, artist Faith-Ann Kiwa Young seeks to spread hope, color, and child-like joy throughout the community.
Inspired by the traditional koi nobori flown across Japan to celebrate Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day), Young created this on-going series of Kibō Nobori banners in honor of the artist’s Japanese-American heritage and her experience as a mother. Suspended outdoors, they move with the wind, inviting viewers to pause and consider themes of resilience, hope, and intergenerational continuity.
From 2022–2025, the project was presented annually as a vibrant Children’s Day celebration in Little Tokyo in partnership with Terasaki Budokan, bringing together music, performance, art, a marketplace and family-friendly programming that highlighted the creativity and diversity of Japanese American and AAPI communities.
In Spring 2026, Kibō Nobori enters a new chapter through a series of site-specific installations presented at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) in Little Tokyo as part of Kodomo no Hi celebrations and AAPI Heritage Month.
The project invites families, artists, and community members to gather, reflect, and celebrate together through color, movement, and shared cultural traditions.
More details coming!
Faith-Ann Kiwa Young
About the Artist
Faith-Ann Kiwa Young is a Los Angeles–based, half-Japanese multidisciplinary artist whose work centers on textile, photography, and light-responsive forms. Known for luminous fabric sculptures and layered silk compositions, she transforms light and space into contemplative environments that invite pause and reflection.
Blending photography, paint, and textile, her practice explores memory, renewal, and collective resilience. Rooted in her Japanese heritage and shaped by California’s light and landscape, Young creates sculptural “soft monuments” that hold transience and continuity at once.
Her installations have been exhibited internationally - from Los Angeles to England- and often incorporate participatory elements that invite audiences to gather, reflect, and contribute their own voices.
A graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University, Young is the City of Santa Monica Artist-in-Residence and a recipient of the Roots + Resilience Grant from the Doan Foundation. Her work has been featured in The Economist, Rolling Stone, Juxtapoz, and Dwell.
JACCC
Host and Partner
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) is a multidisciplinary arts and cultural institution in Little Tokyo dedicated to sharing Japanese and Japanese American arts, culture, and community programming.
Through exhibitions, performances, and public programs, JACCC serves as a vital gathering place that connects artists, audiences, and the broader community while celebrating the cultural legacy of Little Tokyo.
Kodomo no Hi is JACCC’s largest annual celebration, drawing thousands of families to Little Tokyo during AAPI Heritage Month.
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