Carly Gutzmann (14) and Michelle Reed (14) are friends who live in Minnesota. In the fall of 2006, they decided to make a documentary for National History Day. The topic that year was “Triumph and Tragedy in History.” They called their documentary The Art and Soul of Topaz Relocation Center.
They wanted to do a documentary about tolerance and when they came across a book called Topaz Moon, they knew they had found their topic. The book is about Chiura Obata, a Japanese American painter interned at Topaz Relocation Center. Both girls love art and were immediately inspired by these…