14 July 2009 | Posted inBlog News & Updates, Cool Stuff, Featured, Pictures, Projects, Sustainable Design, Video
America’s Best Idea Indeed
So I may be the dolt who missed it this weekend, but Mark quickly filled me in and trust me, I WON’T miss it when it comes out officially!
Ken Burns, the documentary filmmaker who brought the world so many great works (including my favorites, Frank Lloyd Wright and Mark Twain) now is bringing forth the beauty of America’s National Parks. The series is coming on PBS on September 27th (which happens to be my birthday! Yay for that!)
Featuring commentary about Chiura Obata (father of HOK founder, Gyo Obata) who was a Japanese immigrant whose highly-acclaimed paintings of Yosemite National Park gave America a view of the parks they would never have seen otherwise. He is an amazing figure, and worth researching a little online. Perhaps we’ll have to get some video in the coming days of Gyo’s take on his father’s beautiful work… (fast forward in the extended preview embedded here to about 12:00 and you’ll hear a quote by Chiura Obata regarding his take on the national parks)
This documentary has special connection to those of us who love parks large and small, and it provides us a unique opportunity to understand how these wonderful spaces were conceived, the economic climate in which they were constructed, and the outstanding efforts of the NPS, WPA, and CCC to construct places we now relate with our national identity. The National Park Service has a presence in 49 of the 50 states (Delaware is the sole exception).
\The national parks certainly were (and still are) America’s Best Idea (what a charming subtitle!)
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Hi,
Koho Yamamoto and I will buy the documentary movie!!
I have exhibited Chiura Obata’s unknown art works which he drew between 1943-1945 in Japan(Public school in Japna).
This was the first exhibition about the Japanese American internment camp in the world war II with Artist Chiura Obata & Koho Yamamoto.
I am willing to enjoy the hearts of Artist Chiura Obata with nature.
Thank you!! from New York City
Art Taro