Henry Luce Foundation Awards $175,000 Grant to Support Beyond Museum Walls Project

02/10/2026

The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties has been awarded a $175,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support Beyond Museum Walls: Collections, Community, and Engagement at The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties. This three-year initiative, running from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2029, is dedicated to strengthening conservation practices and increasing public access to one of the most significant collections of Miné Okubo’s work in the world.

Beyond Museum Walls centers on the stewardship of the Miné Okubo Collection, which includes paintings, papers, correspondence, photographs, and personal artifacts spanning from the 1930s until Okubo’s death in 2001. The grant will assist by providing term staffing for the Center’s archive. By doing so, the project will modernize documentation and preservation standards while expanding opportunities for public engagement.

Museum staffing is integral to the conservation of Okubo’s large-scale canvases, many of which are currently stored in archival tubes. These efforts ensure the collection’s physical integrity and make the artworks available for future exhibitions and potential loans to other museums.

Beyond Museum Walls will increase public awareness of Okubo’s life and work as a Japanese American woman artist, writer, and social activist. Through this project, the Center seeks to deepen the understanding of Okubo’s contributions while supporting educational and community-based engagement.

“The Henry Luce Foundation’s support allows the Center to responsibly care for Miné Okubo’s work while expanding how students, scholars, and the public can engage with her legacy,” said Tracy Fisher, Ph.D., director of The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties. “This grant strengthens the Center’s ability to steward the collection with intention and to create opportunities that connect art, social justice, and community across generations.”

The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties, part of the Riverside Community College District, holds the world’s most extensive repository of Okubo’s work. The Beyond Museum Walls project serves as a foundation for future initiatives, including the development of a national loan schedule, and student-centered projects focused on the intersections of art, social justice, and community.

Published by External Relations & Strategic Communications