Yosemite National Park will celebrate the legacy of Yosemite and California artist Chiura Obata with the fourth annual Obata Art Weekend August 30 to September 1, 2024. The weekend will feature art workshops and demonstrations, Ranger talks, presentations, a community art fair, a round table discussion, and more!
Park visitors will need a reservation to enter the park between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays during Obata Art Weekend 2024. Please plan accordingly.
Obata Art Weekend 2024 Full Schedule
Obata Art Weekend Special Exhibit
The Obata Art Weekend is excited to have a special exhibit to showcase Yosemite’s Obata original pieces! Alongside a selection of Obata’s works, there will be art from the workshop artists and our local students from Yosemite High School. Reception is scheduled on August 30th, 5-7pm (talks begin at 6pm), in front of the Yosemite Museum. This exhibit will be opened for one week leading up to the Obata Art Weekend, August 26-August 31.
Obata Art Weekend 2024: Register for Art Workshops and Demonstrations
All workshops are offered during two time slots, unless otherwise noted, on Saturday, August 31st: 9:30-11:30am and 1:00-3:00pm. Spaces are limited and participants must register on this webpage or in front of the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center on 8/31.
lkebana Demonstration with Keiko Kubo
Register for lkebana Demonstration with Keiko Kubo
While we can’t forage for materials in the park, this art program will be an exciting demonstration and talk based on principles of Sogetsu ikebana (not a hands-on workshop). Inspired by the beauty of Yosemite, Keiko will share both an earlylesson in the Sogetsu curriculum and several others using some materials similar to those found in the park.
Participants will also be shown an arrangement using containers made by Haruko Obata and others while incarcerated in theWWII Topaz Concentration Camp. Meet@ Yosemite Museum
Printmaking Demonstration and Activity with Daniel Villa
Register for Printmaking Demonstration and Activity with Daniel Villa
Join a California-based printmaker in an interactive Q&A as he creates a new Yosemite National Park inspired print, handcrafted utilizing traditional Mokuhanga technique. Participants will have the opportunity to observe and assist with theprinting process, delve into the intricacies of woodcut, and explore the diverse aspects of hand printmaking. Meet@ Shuttle Stop #6
Landscape Watercolors with Mariko Lofink
Register for Landscape Watercolors with Mariko Lofink
Join veteran Yosemite artist and art teacher Mariko, and learn to translate the beautiful landscape you are connecting with using your brush and page. Meet@ Shuttle Stop #6
Capturing Yosemite with Watercolor with Silvia Chenault
Register for Capturing Yosemite with Watercolor with Silvia Chenault
Paint with Silvia as she teaches you simple ways to sketch and use watercolor to complete your very own finished workfeaturing the glorious Yosemite Valley. We will sit and view the iconic rock formations for a while and share our observations of light and form. Then we will work in pencil capturing its basic shapes and lines. We will finish by adding watercolor and textures to our creations. Meet at Shuttle Stop #6
Immerse Yourself in Yosemite: Plein Air Painting Demonstration with Kamala Chandrasekhar
Join artist Kamala Chandrasekhar for a captivating plein air oil painting demonstration. Witness the magic of Yosemite Valleyunfold as Kamala captures the essence of the landscape on canvas. After the demonstration,delve deeper into her artisticprocess with a live O&A session. Discover how painting outside fosters a profound connection with nature. Meet at Shuttle Stop #6
Perception and Presence with Douglas Dertinger
Register for Perception and Presence with Douglas Dertinger
Photographer Doug Dertinger will address the many ways in which photography has been used to imagine what “Yosemite”might be. Participants will discuss the role the viewer plays in creating what is viewed, and how different photographers andartists, through their medium and conceptual approach, have created the manifold meanings we associate with the park.
Participants will create a small set of images based on a walking and viewing exercise that they will build and share with each other by the end of the workshop. (1-2 miles of flat walking). Meet@ Yosemite Museum (9:30-11:30am only)
Plant Cyanotypes with Found Book Pages with Eliza Gregory
Register for Plant Cyanotypes with Found Book Pages with Eliza Gregory
Join artist Eliza Gregory in making cyanotypes of plant specimens from the park using found book pages. We will speak back to historical and contemporary narratives about “The West,” natural history, ecology and other place-based topics by arranging found plant specimens on top of text. We will think about layering information, we will ask questions about our ambient cultural narratives about place, and we’ll revel in the intricacy, complexity and agency of the plants found all around us in the park. Meet@ Yosemite Auditorium (1:00-3:00pm only)
Obata Art Weekend 2024: Presenters and Ranger Talks
In addition to the artist workshops, Obata Art Weekend will feature a lineup of presentations and ranger-led walks. Speakers include: Kimi Hill (Obata’s granddaughter), April Kunieda, Mirella Guiterrez, Brian Chavez, Brendan Chittick, Emily Dayhoff, the Japanese American National Museum, and Connie Lau. These will be in the evenings on Friday and Saturday, at the workshop times listed above, and on Sunday morning – with all presentations in the Valley Auditorium.
Obata Art Weekend 2024: Community Art Fair
Formerly known as the Social Hour, the Community Art Fair (CAF) will be staffed with 10 tables this year, ranging from the Japanese American National Museum to the Mariposa Art Council to UC Merced Students to origami to Ansel Adams Art Gallery to Ranger-led interactive art activities. In 2023, the Obata Art Weekend welcomed over 300 visitors during this event, we’re hoping to have around the same this year! Will be in front of the Welcome Center from 4-6pm on August 31st.
“Daniel Villa demonstrating printmaking” by C. Calhoun
“Ranger Talk with Ranger Connie” by C. Calhoun
Featured Image: “Clouds, Upper Lyell Trail, Along Lyell Fork” by Chiura Obata, YOSE 109531, Courtesy of Yosemite National Park
