TOPAZ

Several of my relatives were born in the Japanese Internment camp Topaz during WWII. A couple of years ago, I visited the Topaz Museum in Delta, UT, with my family. Chiura Obata, a Japanese artist from Berkeley, founded an art school in the camp that grew to accommodate 600 students. Obata started this art school initially for his desire to continue painting. However, it soon proved that it was also an opportunity for those distressed by internment to immerse themselves in the beauty of art and its creative healing power. I found inspiration from Obata and those who could find beauty and cultivate art despite being forced from their homes in California and shipped to the desolate West Utah Desert. These photographs depict the barren mountains outside of Topaz and feature my three aunts. A quote from one of the leading art instructors at the camp says, "art maintains high ideals among our people, for its object is to prevent their minds from remaining on the plains, to encourage human spirits to dwell high above the mountains." These portraits remember those spirits who linger–embellishing them with beautiful, lush fabrics that elevate their souls beyond their stark surroundings.