2026 Spring Conferment of Decorations (Mrs. Mimi Gardner Gates, Director Emerita of the Seattle Art Museum)

On April 29, 2026 (JST), the Government of Japan announced that Mrs. Mimi Gardner Gates, Director Emerita of the Seattle Art Museum, has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in recognition of her contributions to the introduction of Japanese culture in the United States and the promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and the United States. 

Decoration: Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon 
Service: Contributions to the introduction of Japanese culture in the United States and the promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and the United States. 
Major Titles: Director Emerita of the Seattle Art Museum 

Summary of Contributions: 
 　Mrs. Mimi Gardner Gates, Director Emerita of the Seattle Art Museum, has made significant contributions to the introduction of Japanese culture in the United States and to the promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and the United States since assuming the position of Director of the Seattle Art Museum in 1994. 
　Through her efforts to strengthen the museum’s collection of Japanese art, the Seattle Art Museum has come to house over 3,000 Japanese artworks, making it one of the most significant collections of its kind in the United States. In addition to expanding opportunities to exhibit Japanese art in the region, she also contributed to building networks among museums and academic communities in Japan and the United States. These efforts included collaborative exhibitions with the Kobe City Museum in 2007 and a traveling exhibition of works from the Seattle Art Museum collection at the Suntory Museum of Art in 2009. 
　After stepping down as Director in 2011, she established the Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas (CAAI) as Director Emerita, with the aim of promoting Asian art, culture, and thought. Through the programs of this center, she continues to contribute to the dissemination of Japanese culture. 
　In recognition of her achievements in promoting cultural exchange between Japan and the United States through the arts, Mrs. Mimi Gardner Gates was awarded the Foreign Minister’s Commendation in 2008.