Since its inception in 2001, the Petrie Institute of Western American Art has embraced an expansive definition of the West that encompasses its diversity of people, landscapes, wildlife, and aesthetics from the early nineteenth century to the present. The American West has long been a place of inspiration and artistic production (well before the arrival of any Europeans), though its borders, boundaries, and definitions continue to shift.
Over the past twenty-plus years, the leaders and staff of the Petrie Institute have produced scholarship and exhibitions on western American art that meaningfully reintegrate it into American and global art histories. Simultaneously, they have grown the collection into one of the most important in the country. The Petrie Institute continues to expand American art histories, seeking underappreciated or overlooked artists and unexpected stories. The life and work of Japanese-born American artist Tokio Ueyama fits well within the mission of the Institute while revealing that there are many stories yet to be told, including those that touch upon some of the country’s most challenging histories.
Working on this project has been a moving and revelatory experience, one that has consistently reminded me of my own blind spots in American history. I am humbled and honored to lead this meaningful project, especially given the richness of the archives and artworks dutifully maintained by Ueyama’s extended family. In particular, I am grateful to Grace Keiko and Mark Nozaki, Irene Tomoko Tsukada Simonian, Dane Ishibashi, Susie Ishibashi, Clem and Angie Yang, and David and Atsuko Hirai. Thank you for trusting the Denver Art Museum, and me, with your uncle’s important story and for so graciously hosting me in your homes and businesses.
Fundamentally, this project is due to ShiPu Wang, Professor and Coats Family Endowed Chair in the Arts at the University of California, Merced. Thank you, ShiPu, for your generosity and collegiality, and for making all the necessary introductions.
At the Denver Art Museum, I am grateful to Meg Selig, Curatorial Assistant; Lauren Thompson, Senior Interpretive Specialist; Jesse Laird Ortega, Assistant Project Manager; Yvanne Vieuille, Associate Registrar and Project Manager; Caitlin Rumery, Associate Registrar for Traveling Exhibitions; Pam Skiles, Senior Paintings Conservator; Christina Jackson, Manager of Photographic Services; Eric Stephenson, Photographer; Renée B. Miller, Manager of Rights and Reproductions; Valerie Hellstein, Managing Editor; Leslie Murrell, Editor; and Matt Popke, Developer. I also thank Yasuko Ogino, independent painting conservator.
My appreciation goes to Darcy Christ for developing this digital publication.
Thank you to Memphis Despain and Noriko Okada for translation assistance.
I extend deep gratitude to Kristen Hayashi at the Japanese American National Museum for accommodating our loan requests and being a crucial resource.
Many thanks to the people who have worked to tell the story of Amache and preserve its historic site, especially to Bonnie Clark for sharing her expertise and insight and to project consultants Dana Ogo Shew, Mitch Homma, and Lily Havey, who helped us better understand how to sensitively and responsibly present the history of Amache to our audiences.
Finally, for fielding a variety of research questions, my thanks to:
Pauline Wolstencroft, Senior Librarian, Balch Art Research Library and Archives, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Michael Brown, Curator of European Art, San Diego Museum of Art, and Karen Hinchcliffe, Curatorial Administrator
Jeff Gunderson, Archivist/Librarian, SFAI Legacy Foundation + Archives
Claude B. Zachary, University Archivist and Manuscripts Librarian, University of Southern California Libraries
Hoang Tran, Director of Archives & Collections, and Catherine Wan, intern, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Julia Shizuyo Popham, PhD student, University of Colorado, Boulder
Josh T. Franco, Head of Collecting, Archives of American Art, and his team
Melissa Geisler Trafton, Visiting Assistant Professor, College of the Holy Cross