DAVENPORT, IOWA (May 1, 2025) — For many who know him through his works and ideas, admirers of George Nakashima may think his definitive documentary would break down the design elements and trace the techniques that explain what he created. But his life's work was more a result of an esoteric collection of experiences; he became a lone seeker searching for meaning in life. Nakashima accumulated a complex layering of answers, and, like the classic "hero's journey," he returned home with this knowledge.
He discovered the act of creation could be a form of sacred devotion. He found the mystical wonder that is always present in nature. He's a useful inspiration for those who want a deeper appreciation of beauty, an understanding of how artists come to create, for those looking for ways to find meaning in their own creativity.
Documentary Maker
John Nakashima worked for various West Virginia Public Television iterations for 48 years, producing, directing, shooting, writing, and — especially — editing documentaries and specials. His work explores West Virginia culture in the broadest sense — including visual and performing arts, traditional and modern culture, historical documentaries, and contemporary issues.
Mountaineer is his 1995 Emmy award-winning lyrical look at the "hillbilly" stereotype and what it means to be West Virginian. The Clifftop Experience (2008), a half-hour documentary, has had 109,000 views on YouTube. The First 1,000 Days: Investing in WV Children When It Counts (2015) received a regional Emmy and was honored to receive the Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers in West Virginia. He produced an ongoing series of essays for West Virginia Public Radio with the state's late Poet Laurette, Irene McKinney.
He received the 2021 Associated Press of the Virginias (AP) Broadcasters Lifetime Achievement Award for his state. He was the 2013 West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year award by the WV Filmmakers Festival.
He is now an independent filmmaker.
Not a native Appalachian, he was raised in Dubuque, Iowa on the Mississippi. The Nakashimas were one of three Japanese American families who lived there starting in the 1950s.
His first Independent documentary about his uncle, George Nakashima, Woodworker, had a COVID period virtual premiere by Design Miami, where 4,000 viewed it internationally. He has done screenings with Q&As at the national convention of JACL, the Japanese American Citizens League, the Austin Film Society, the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Library, and is, in a few days, about to have his second event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
