The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded Friends of Mukai a $150,000 Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant for the restoration of Mukai Farm & Garden’s historic Mukai Cold Process Fruit Barreling Plant.
The award to Friends of Mukai is one of twenty-four intended to encourage nonfederal participation in capital construction and renovation projects by leveraging federal funds. During this awards cycle, the NEH supported a total of 258 humanities projects around the country.
“This grant award comes at an important time for Mukai Farm & Garden,” said Rita Brogan, president of Friends of Mukai.
Friends of Mukai has been working for several years on plans to restore the Fruit Barreling Plant to create a multi-purpose center that will include humanities programs highlighting the over 120 years of the Japanese American experience on Vashon Island, Washington. Once restored, the Fruit Barreling Plant will also host agricultural tenants to advance Vashon’s agricultural tradition.
Friends of Mukai has engaged the architectural firm of Hoshide Wanzer in developing the next phase of designs for the restoration project.
Brogan credits Congressional support, as well as the State of Washington, King County, Seattle and Puget Sound’s Asian American community, and islanders, for the work done so far in conserving and sustaining the farm and allowing the Friends to plan for its future.
“We now need to make one last big push to make the vision of a restored Fruit Barreling Plant a reality,” she said.
The restored Mukai house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a living testimony to Japanese American culture and education, and it is open to the public for programming all year.
Last week, Mukai hosted a celebration for the fourth annual Haiku Festival (see page 3), capping a month-long competition that attracted hundreds of poets to submit their entries from a dozen countries. Their work is now on exhibit at the farm through May.
“Just a few short years ago, Mukai was in ruins, and the community rallied to restore the historic farmhouse and Japanese garden at Mukai,” said Brogan. “Restoration of the Fruit Barreling Plant will greatly enhance Mukai’s ability to fulfill its mission to celebrate the contributions of immigrants to our American story.”
