BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Sam I. Yamada

dates

Atelier Sketch Club

Sam I. Yamada was a member of the Atelier Sketch Club, a group formed by art students taking Evening Classes at the Vancouver School of Art. The group put together an exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1940.

He also showed work in the B.C. Artists annual exhibitions in 1937, 1940, and 1941.

It is possible that Yamada was later interned with the B.C. Japanese population after Japan entered World War II. The few Japanese artists exhibiting in Vancouver prior to that time soon disappeared from the exhibition catalogues. It is perhaps ironic that one of his paintings in the Atelier Sketch Club exhibition was a portrait of a member of another persecuted minority in British Columbia, the East Indians.

BC Vital Statistics on-line did not provide any information on the artist as of July 2021.


GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1937 Sept. 17 - Oct. 10 VAG   B.C. Artists 6th Annual Butterflies
1940 April 2 - 14 Atelier Sketch Club   Group exhibition Silver Slippers
Mr. Singh
1940 Sept. 20 - Oct. 13 VAG   B.C. Artists 9th Annual Kimiko
A Friend
1941 Sept. 26 - Oct. 19 VAG   B.C. Artists 10th Annual Girl in Beige

References

Clippings

"Congratulations are due to the Atelier Sketch Club for their ambitious exhibition. This self-organized group of evening school students are meeting every Friday in the Holden building and an invitation is extended to all students to join."
      From "Evening School" by Fred Amess
      Behind The Palette, Vancouver School of Art Annual 1939-40

" ... a striking portrait study by S. Yamada, entitled "Mr. Singh."
      From "Students Hold Art Exhibition"
      Vancouver Sun, April 3 1940

"Atelier Sketch Club Takes A Bow"
      News Herald, April 3 1940

"Art Group, Youth Share City Gallery"
      Vancouver Province, April 4 1940


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