Kimi Hill: “The Life and Art of Chiura Obata”

Kimi Hill, Obata family historian and granddaughter of Chiura Obata, presents “The Life and Art of Chiura Obata.” Chiura Obata (1885 – 1975) ranks among the most significant California-based artists and Japanese American cultural leaders of the last century. His artistic career was interrupted when World War II fears and Executive Order 9066 forced Obata and 120,000 other Japanese Americans into incarceration camps. While imprisoned in Topaz, Utah, Obata created a flourishing art school, serving over 600 students and helping fellow imprisoned Americans cope with their displacement and loss. The program will conclude with a screening of “Obata’s Yosemite” a deeply moving 14-minute film created by filmmaker Adam Prieto and sponsored by the Yosemite Conservancy and National Park Service.