Programs Over its 24-year programming history, the JACCC has presented many outstanding performing and visual arts from Japan in its George & Sakaye Aratani / Japan America Theatre and Doizaki Gallery, respectively. These programs have ranged from presentations of the Grand Kabuki of Japan and the Treasures from the Kasuga Shrine, a museum-quality exhibition of bugaku and gagaku costumes and instruments from 6th and 7th century, to Kazuo Ohno, the co-founder of the avant garde butoh movement, and an exhibition of Anime (animated cartoon) and Manga (comic book) illustrations from Japan. Of equal importance is the JACCC’s commitment to Japanese American and Asian American artists who are presented in programs such as the JACCC’s J-Town Beat series, providing mainstage opportunities for accomplished artists, the Fresh Tracks series, focusing on contemporary work by emerging artists, and the annual AJA exhibition which showcases the work of contemporary artists of Japanese Ancestry. Over time, the JACCC’s programming has expanded to also include the work of Pacific Islander artists and cultural activities that are now being presented at the JACCC on a regular basis. The JACCC’s Community Programs are primarily educational in nature, including a range of family festivals, performances and exhibitions that preserve and promote Japanese American cultural heritage. Special events such as the traditional holiday celebrations of New Year’s and Children’s Day are designed to preserve cultural traditions, as well as to create a context for those traditions and values for new audiences and younger generations of Japanese Americans. Through a grant from The James Irvine Foundation, the JACCC has also recently launched a major new multi-year program, the Asian and Pacific Islander Artist Presenting Initiative (API/2), an artistic strengthening and community engagement program for artists in Los Angeles. The program will further enhance the JACCC’s position as a leader in the Asian and Pacific Islander performing arts field. Given its location in the heart of downtown Los Angeles bordering the Civic Center, Chinatown, the Wholesale District and East L.A., the JACCC draws its audiences from diverse sources that are representative of a truly multi-cultural Los Angeles. The JACCC has also undertaken a number of organizational collaborations and artistic partnerships over time, which continues to be a central part of the JACCC’s programming philosophy. JACCC Programs are made possible in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Supervisor Don Knabe, Aaroe Associates Charitable Foundation, The Boeing Company and the Employees Community Fund of Boeing California, Citigroup Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, The japan Foundation Los Angeles Office, The Japan Foundation - Performing Arts JAPAN, the SBC Foundation, Safeco Insurance, the Union Pacific Foundation, and the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF). < Significant in-kind support is provided by American Airlines. The Rafu Simpo is the Media Sponsor