Art Walk: Watercolors at the Museum

During World War II, the U.S. Government incarcerated more than 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants at remote incarceration centers – including at the Topaz Relocation Center in Delta, Utah. At Topaz, art flourished in spite of the adverse circumstances. Renowned artist and distinguished UC Berkeley art professor Chiura Obata founded the Topaz Art School while incarcerated, and hundreds of Japanese Americans incarcerated in the barren, remote desert attended lessons on painting, drawing, sculpture using found objects, and other art forms.

At the May Art Walk, explore digitized selections of Obata’s work, and create your own watercolor inspired by the artistic legacy and resilience of those incarcerated at Topaz.

ArtWalk evenings in 2024 will be March 1, May 3, August 2, November 1, from 5-8p.m. Attendees are encouraged to stop by each location and check out the artwork on display, mingle, and purchase work that catches their eye.

*Chiura Obata, “Topaz War Relocation Center by Moonlight,” 1943, watercolor, gift of the Estate of Chiura Obata, from the Permanent Collection of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.