Jon Masuo Yamashiro was born the oldest son and raised as a third generation Okinawan American in the “cultural pastiche” of Honolulu, Hawaii. He traveled from the islands to study at Washington University in St. Louis, receiving his BFA in 1985, followed by an MFA in photography from Indiana University in 1991. In 1993, Yamashiro began teaching photography at Miami University. He has exhibited his photographs regionally, nationally and internationally. In 2009, he received the prestigious Effective Educator Award presented by Miami University’s Alumni Association for his deviation to students. Yamashiro lives in Liberty, Indiana with his wife Jennifer and their son Luke (17). Their daughter Lydia (20) is a junior at Miami University.
As a kid growing up in Hawaii, the hours after the school day ended were special. My friends would ask, “What you doing after school?” The question was full of potential and the promise of adventure. I remember it as a time when we were free to use our imagination and play for a few hours before dinner. That’s what these photographs represent. Bits and pieces of my adult life, visually lived like it was “after school.” They were made while on class field trips, spending time with my kids or when I was just out wandering, looking, playing.
