Expert Series: John Ridley and Kimi Hill on Chiura Obata

Join Oscar-winning filmmaker John Ridley for a conversation about painter Chiura Obata (1885–1975) with writer, and Obata’s granddaughter, Kimi Hill. An influential California-based artist and Japanese American cultural leader, Obata captured the beauty of the American West and the tragedy of Japanese internment during World War II.

This drop-in experience is included with Museum admission and is free for Members. Come prepared for your visit by reserving tickets at the door or online.

The Expert Series welcomes renowned artists, scholars, and cultural activators to the Museum for expansive dialogues that dive deeper into an exhibition, artist, or theme.

About the Experts

John Ridley is an Academy Award–winning screenwriter, director, novelist, playwright, and showrunner whose credits include 12 Years a Slave, Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992, American Crime, and Jimi: All Is by My Side. In fall 2018, Ridley opened Nō Studios, a space for the arts and community, in his hometown of Milwaukee.

Kimi Hill, Obata’s granddaughter, has consulted on numerous books and exhibitions about her grandfather, including the 2019 retrospective at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. As family historian, Hill also edited the book Topaz Moon: Chiura Obata’s Art of the Internment, which tells the story of the Obata family, one of thousands of Japanese American families forcefully relocated during WWII.

Sponsored by:
The Milwaukee Art Museum’s African American Art Alliance
Nō Studios