Background
Okamura, Arthur Shinji was born on February 24, 1932 in Long Beach, California, United States. Son of Frank Akira and Yuki Okamura.
( In this witty little book, Arthur Okamura fashions pape...)
In this witty little book, Arthur Okamura fashions paper frogs that actually jump, uses a mirror to draw a magical star, and shows how to unpeel a sliced banana. Ideal for office, outings, car rides, and picnics, this book makes anyone an instant magician.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0936070234/?tag=2022091-20
Okamura, Arthur Shinji was born on February 24, 1932 in Long Beach, California, United States. Son of Frank Akira and Yuki Okamura.
He attended the Art Institute of Chicago from 1950-1954, Yale School of Art in 1954, and the University of Chicago in 1951, 1953 and 1957.
He lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, and was Professor Emeritus at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, California. His work is in the permanent collections at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, District of Columbia, the Whitney Museum in New York, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Artist He is associated with the San Francisco Renaissance.
He illustrated numerous works of literature and poetry, published a book on games and toys for children, and created illustrations for the television movie The People.
While a child, his family was relocated to the Granada War Relocation Center, set up in the United States during World World War II for the forcible relocation of residents of Japanese ancestry. He moved to California after his university studies, living in San Francisco, then the artist colony of Bolinas.
He taught at the California College of the Arts for over 30 years, retiring in 1997. He died July 10, 2009 in Bolinas.
His first solo exhibition was in 1953, at the Frank Ryan Gallery, in Chicago.
He has had exhibits at the Oakland Museum of Art (1959), the California Palace of the Legion of Honor (1962), and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1968). In addition to being in the aforementioned permanent collections, his work is in the collections of the Legion of Honor, the Oakland Museum, the Stanford University Collection, and the California College of the Arts. He had numerous solo and group or joint exhibits over the last 50 years.
Catalogs of his exhibits have been published.
He is represented by the Braunstein/Quay Gallery, San Francisco.
( In this witty little book, Arthur Okamura fashions pape...)
(Limited edition of 750 copies. Ribbon tied portfolio with...)
Served as private Army of the United States, 1955-1956. Member of Commonweal (board directors 1993—2007).
Married Elizabeth Tuomi, August 7, 1953 (divorced). Children: Beth, Jonathan, Jane, Ethan. Married Kitty Wong, 1991.