Member Events

Haruko and Chiura Obata: Teaching an Appreciation for Nature


El Capitan: Yosemite National Park, California, 1930, by Chiura Obata (American, 1885–1975). Ink and colors on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of Dr. Stephen A. Sherwin and Merrill Randol Sherwin, 2010.13. Photograph © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Kimi Hill will speak about her grandparents, Chiura and Haruko Obata. Chiura Obata is considered by many today as one of the foremost California landscape painters of the 20th century. His seminal work depicting the High Sierra was created nearly 100 years ago in 1927. Ikebana artist Haruko, one of the first teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area, taught the classic art of Japanese flower arrangement to hundreds of Americans throughout her long career. Both artists and teachers, their art and shared philosophies of natural beauty and reverence for it continues to resonate with admirers today.

Kimi Hill is the granddaughter of Haruko and Chiura Obata, and the Obata family historian. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and the California College of Arts and Crafts, she has served as a consultant for numerous Obata projects and exhibits, including the 2020 retrospective Chiura Obata: An American Modern at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Haruko Obata by Pamela Valois

Registration Policies

The Society for Asian Art’s cancellation policy requires at least one week’s advance written notice in order to receive a refund of registration fees. This excludes our Travel programs, which have separate cancellation policies, as well as any programs where a specific refund policy is stated on the event page. Your fees will be returned to you through a check in the mail. To cancel, please contact us.

For programs located within the Asian Art Museum, the museum entrance fee must be paid separately and is not included with your registration fee.

Please note that by registering for a program, you are giving consent to the SAA to be photographed or videoed as a participant.

More Programs

view all