Dean K. Terasaki

Dean Terasaki is 'sansei,' a third-generation Japanese American. The discovery of his father's 442nd Regiment, WWII snapshots and memorabilia sparked his lifelong exploration of photography, memory, and the intersection of race and culture in society. As a young person searching for a future, Dean hopped freight trains, drove taxicabs, and realized that he seemed to carry a camera everywhere. A BFA from the University of Colorado (1978), a MFA in photography from Arizona State University (1985), a brief move to NYC, he returned to Phoenix where, for 33 years, he taught photography and digital imaging at Glendale Community College. Recently, a selection of his series, Veiled Inscriptions, was published online by Fraction Magazine (issue 177), and he was awarded a 2025 Artist to Work Grant by the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture. Dean is currently co-president of the Eye Lounge Collective at Modified Arts and currently resides in Phoenix with his wife, Teri.