The creative legacy of Kauai artist Ray Yoshida

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The creative legacy of Kauai artist Ray Yoshida One artist’s dream inspires new generations of art & cultural impact. By Hawaii Community Foundation Dec 21, 2018 Kauai native Ray Yoshida’s legacy spans from the Aloha State to the Windy City and to art galleries and collectors around the world. When he left Kauai as a young man to pursue his dreams of artistry and creative expression at the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago, it’s unlikely his friends and family knew the impact he’d have over more than 50 years in the global art community. But they almost surely knew he’d never forget where he came from. One of the renowned leaders of the Chicago Imagists — known for their representational art in the 1960s and 1970s —Yoshida became a much-admired teacher and mentor to young artists who found their way to Chicago to learn from the master. His works hang in private collections and galleries around the world, but his home, and his difficult journey to success, remained dear to him. Ray returned to his roots during his twilight years and continued his mentorship of aspiring artists by creating two scholarships: one for students from Kauai who attend college and study the arts, and one for Hawaii residents who are full-time students at the Art Institute of Chicago. True to his intentions, these scholarships ensure that these artists get the training they deserve. “Leaving a legacy was very important to my uncle,” says his niece, Jennifer Sabas, “He remembered how difficult it was for him, as a young man from Kauai, to go to Chicago. He wanted to make it easier for Hawaii’s kids.” Yoshida died in 2009, but not before realizing the impact his generosity would have on art students across the state. Sabas recalls her uncle, in a wheelchair just months before his death, meeting a young boy who told her uncle that one day, he’d get that scholarship. “He smiled that day,” said Sabas. “He knew he’d done the right thing.”


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