Cecilia Nakamura Arts Fund

About Cecilia Nakamura

Cecilia Saoko Nakamura was born in San Francisco in 1913, and at a young age, her Kyoto-born mother, Tsuyeko Nishikawa, a koto teacher, began Cecilia’s music training on the koto. She also learned the violin at a young age. After her father died, her mother remarried a man who owned a gift shop in Newport Beach, where Cecilia worked while growing up.

After high school Cecilia studied costume design and tailoring at Trade Tech in Los Angeles. She also began dancing with Michio Ito, renowned Japanese modern dance choreographer, performing at the Greek Theater and Hollywood Bowl. She continued life-long friendships with Michio Ito, photographer Toyo Miyatake, and a lively mix of Japanese and American artists of the burgeoning modern arts movement.

During WWII, she was interned at Poston, while her friend and mentor, Michio Ito was deported to Japan as an enemy alien. After returning to Los Angeles, she began a long career as a tailor working with Hollywood designer Frank Acuna, who created costumes for Eleanor Powell, Liberace, Gilbert Roland, Clark Gable and others.

Devoted to her mother, who was widowed again, Cecilia never married, caring for her through a long illness until her death. Cecilia continued to enjoy the arts, gardening, collecting recipes, and dancing Michio Ito’s dances with her friends, Barbara Perry and Helen Caldwell on Sundays. She was a member of West Adams Christian Church.

Throughout her declining years, she kept her spicy sense of humor, strong willed independence, compassion, and love of the arts. Cecilia passed away in June 2006.

About Cecilia Nakamura Arts Fund

JACS received $295,000 donation from the Cecilia Nakamura Trust, and established the Cecilia Nakamura Arts Fund in 2007 to support a new generation of individual artists, arts organizations and their work.

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Click here for guidlines to apply for the Cecilia Nakamura Arts Fund.