Three Amigos Painting

Ron Kiino was born in Berkeley, California, and is of Japanese American Ancestry. He is a third generation, 'Sansei' which is three generations from native Japan. As a young child, he was introduced to bigotry and racism first-hand. His family and relatives were incarcerated and imprisoned because of their color and race, during WWII. Even though they are American citizens they were transported to Topaz, Utah, for the duration of the war. Topaz, Utah is one of several sites that imprisoned over 123,000 Japanese Americans during the war. This was an act of racism at its' worst. One of his works of art is an acrylic painting entitled 'Guard Tower, Topaz, Utah'. The painting is 16' x 24' and utilizes brilliant colors to dramatize the rage and fury of being imprisoned and humiliated. The guard tower symbolizes that a supposed democratic nation is capable of doing it again.