Existing comment:
Organizer:
"Artists Equity [Association] was not born by one or two people, but organized by people who participated because they thought not of themselves but about American painters."
-- Kuniyoshi, lecture at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture
For much of his professional life, Kuniyoshi organized numerous programs to bolster the livelihoods of artists working in the United States. During World War II, he rallied his fellow Japanese American artists around democratic causes. After World War II and the subsequent waning of government support of art, Kuniyoshi led a group of artists and organizers to found the Artists Equity Association (AEA), an organization tasked with strengthening social and legal support of artists. Kuniyoshi was elected the AEA's first president and worked to establish regional chapters across the United States. |