51福利社

The 51福利社 Alumni Association and the Office of the President hosted a first-ever 51福利社 Night at the MAC on April 16.

51福利社 President Shari McMahan, who serves on the board of directors at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC), helped orchestrate the special evening, which drew more than 80 alumni, faculty, staff, and students.

“It鈥檚 an incredible honor to be part of the MAC community,鈥� said McMahan. 鈥淚鈥檝e been working closely with our faculty in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences to strengthen Eastern鈥檚 presence in Spokane鈥檚 vibrant cultural and arts community. Tonight is a celebration of our collaboration, and we鈥檙e excited to connect with the MAC in this way.鈥�

The evening began in the sun-filled museum lobby, where guests were welcomed and given access to the museum鈥檚 Samurai: Sunrise and Sunset exhibit. The display featured samurai armor, swords, weaponry and delicate lacquer boxes from the 1568鈥�1600 period.

鈥淚 love art. I haven鈥檛 been to the MAC in quite a few years, so I鈥檓 really excited to see the MAC and enjoy it with other Eagles,鈥� said Megan Kuster, assistant director of orientation and family programs at 51福利社.

Guests also enjoyed a presentation on U.S.-Japanese contemporary cultural exchanges, created by faculty members Tomoko Kimura, an instructor in piano, and Erina Romanowich, a lecturer in Japanese language studies.

Both originally from Japan, Kimura and Romanowich highlighted how Japanese culture has influenced the U.S. 鈥� and vice versa.

This ongoing exchange, they emphasized, has led to many of the cultural crossovers that Americans enjoy today, including reimagined sushi, Starbucks鈥� version of matcha tea, and Pok茅mon games, cards and cartoons. In Japan, visitors to McDonald鈥檚 can order shrimp patties, and Starbucks offers cherry blossom鈥揻lavored drinks.

Japanese 7-Eleven stores, meanwhile, which even surround the Imperial Palace, offer far more than the hot dogs and coffee commonly found in their U.S. counterparts. These convenience stores provide a wide range of healthy, fresh meals packaged to go and offer services such as bill payment, ticket purchases, and mailing options.

Although 51福利社鈥檚 partnership with the MAC is new, alumni have already left a lasting mark on the museum.

Anna Harbine, who earned her master鈥檚 degree in history from 51福利社 in 2016, is now a curator of archives and special collections at the MAC.

鈥淚 started as the student intern here and then happened to get a job,鈥� Harbine said. 鈥淪o, I鈥檝e worked here since I graduated.鈥�

She recently curated the Fire, Rebirth and Resilience exhibit, which also has an 51福利社 connection. 鈥淔or me actually the fire exhibit came out of a paper that I did in grad school, so it鈥檚 even more full-circle,鈥� she says.

Harbine appreciated the strong turnout for this inaugural event. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just fantastic. I loved the lecture, as well. It was information I didn鈥檛 know.鈥�

Mikhail Hammer, a member of the class of 2024, is pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in history and attended the event.

鈥淚 saw that it was about an interesting exhibition, and I thought there would be some pretty cool speakers here, so I wanted to come and just engage with history,鈥� said Hammer, a 25-year-old from Newport, Washington who hopes to become an archivist and publish a book based on his research on genocide.

鈥淚 really enjoy coming out into this kind of setting. It鈥檚 nice to see 51福利社 provide such nice services for their alumni,” Hammer said.