The 2026 Pioneer Spirit Award honorees will be recognized during the Nisei Week Pioneer Spirit Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, August 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza, Bunker Hill Ballroom, located at 251 South Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Tickets for the luncheon are $105 per individual seat or $1,050 per table of 10. Registration is available through NiseiWeek.org. Questions may be directed to pioneerluncheon@niseiweek.org.
Nancy Uyemura – Nominated by Little Tokyo Historical Society
Nancy Uyemura is a Sansei artist and writer, born and raised in Los Angeles, who currently lives and works in Little Tokyo. She has been exhibiting in the United States and Asia since the 1970s and has participated in exhibitions at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Modern Art Museum of Ito City, Japan, Riverside Art Museum, Pyong Taek City Museum, Osaka Triennial, among others.
At the building from 1990-1999, she co-directed Gallery IV with partners Takeo Yamaki and Takeo Morita, gallerists from Japan, as well as her mentor Mike Kanemitsu. From 1984 to 2018, Uyemura lived and worked at 800 Traction in downtown Los Angeles, participating in a vibrant, diverse artistic community.
Uyemura received her bachelor’s degree in art and design from UCLA and her master’s degree from USC in education. She studied in Japan and at the Otis College of Art and Design. Her background in art and education has led her to work both as a teacher and in design as the longtime director of visual communications for Mrs. Gooch’s Natural Foods Markets in Los Angeles. In addition, she is a trained practitioner of Feng Shui. Her work across mediums, formats, and context reflects the diversity of her professional and life experiences, which allowed her to pursue her artistic practice.
Uyemura has been dedicated to bringing art into the community for many years. She considers this one of the many ways that spirit is expressed in the community in seen and unseen ways. She was part of the small group of artists and community members behind Friends of Little Tokyo Art (FOLTA), which was founded in 1977 with the aim of championing public art. She currently works with the Little Tokyo Historical Society and Sustainable Little Tokyo Arts Action Committee. In Little Tokyo, you can see her work at Casa Heiwa, the Little Tokyo Branch Library, Tokyo Towers, Azay, and Little Tokyo Towers.