This photograph appears in "Clearing of City Hall Site Begins: Small Army of Workmen Tearing Down Bullard Building," Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec 1925: A2
Benji Okubo, born in Riverside, was a renowned painter of Japanese ancestry. A graduate of Otis Art Institute (1929), he was active in Los Angeles from the 20's through the 40's. Incarcerated in 1942 in Heart Mountain for the duration of the war, Okubo continued to paint and to teach art classes to fellow inmates. After the war, Okubo returned to Los Angeles with his wife, Chisato, and supported his family as a successful landscape architect. While Okubo continued to paint, his professional career in art did not resume its pre-war level of activity and recognition.
Photograph of 8 Otis Art Institute students holding posters designed to promote attendance at the California Botanic Garden with award winner Benji Okubo on the left. Each poster has an illustration of trees or plants with the caption "Visit The California Botanic Garden." The students are standing on a lawn in front of a stand of palm and other trees at the Otis Art Institute, then located at 2401 Wilshire Blvd.
Photograph of Lieutenant Commander Frank Hawks holding a poster that features a woman surrounded by an American flag and a cowboy. The poster reads in English, “WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL FUND”. Frank is sitting in an airplane labeled “Acostia”, which he flew to the memorial of his friend, Will Rogers.