I want you to paint like YOU.”
– Henry Fukuhara
History
Photo Credit: Rackham Fukuhara
The Manzanar Workshop is a dream that Henry Fukuhara brought to artists, students, and painting enthusiasts. He started the workshop series in 1998, following a pilgrimage he made to the former site of his internment during World War II. He was 85 at the time. The first workshop had less than 20 participants, but over the years attendance has grown to over 100- in part due to the sheer beauty and variety of landscapes in the region.
Henry would take participants on painting excursions to various outdoor sites in the area- including the Alabama Hills, and the towns of Keeler and Lone Pine. The workshops and demonstrations were led by Fukuhara until in 2005, Henry fell victim to Glaucoma, rendering him blind. Despite this, he continued to paint. He attended the workshops for another two years, until in 2010 he quietly passed away at the age of 96.
Today, The workshop continues in Henry’s name; led by Al Setton, with a select group of demonstrators. Past demonstrators include APC’s Ron Libbrecht, Tom Fong, John Barnard, Bill Anderson, Phyllis Doyon, and the late Chris Van Winkle.
Locations
When Henry made the pilgrimage back to Manzanar in 1998, he met with Dan Dickman; an artist and a local of the nearby town of Keeler. In addition to that, Dan location scout for major motion pictures. Dan helped scout locations for Henry’s first workshop demonstrations, and has continued to do so ever since.
Click the tabs below to browse some of the painting locations:
