Students from schools throughout Los Angeles made 1000 origami cranes with their best wishes for Japanese children in the wake of the tsunami. Project 1000 Cranes embodies hope for health, happiness and recovery for the children of Nagoya’s adopted city of Rikuzentakata in the disaster area.

The exhibition “A Tribute to the Children of Japan: Art from Japan In the Barnsdall International Child Art Collection and Project 1000 Cranes” displayed the cranes together with the Barnsdall Arts UNESCO International Child Art Collection of Japanese artwork in at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center from April 2011 to February 2012.

Over 100,000 people viewed this exhibition. To mark the second anniversary of the tragedy, the Los Angeles/Nagoya Sister City Affiliation (LANSCA) “flew” the cranes to Nagoya in April 2012. Project 1000 Cranes were on display in Nagoya in June 2012 before the display was sent to Rikunzentaka in the disaster zone.