BIO

Hisa Ota was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1955 to an artistic mother who infused daily life with Japanese traditions such as ikebana, culinary arts, and kogei bonsai. His grandfather Seizo Ota V, a businessman, shared with Hisa his lifelong desire to become a painter, though family pressures kept him from his dreams. This cautionary tale left a strong impression on young Hisa, who vowed to value and follow his heart. During his lifetime, Seizo amassed a significant collection of Ukiyo-e art, which is housed at the Ota Memorial Museum of Art in Tokyo.

Hisa left Japan at age 17 to study in Switzerland and America. Between Drew University, where he obtained his B.A. in Studio Art in 1979, and Columbia University, where he earned his Masters of Architecture in 1987, Hisa worked at the Japan House Gallery, part of the American Alliance of Museums, in New York City. At Japan House, he worked on exhibition installations and publication design and organized the "Sound on Paper: Music Notation from Japan" exhibition in 1981. In his position, he rediscovered traditional Japanese art and was inspired by meeting many practicing contemporary Japanese and New York artists. In 1986, he interned with the office of Paul Marantz, a New York architectural lighting designer, where he discovered the mystery of light.

During the 1990s, Hisa’s life took a turn when he created and oversaw the operation of a 100,000-acre bison ranch, managing the third largest bison herd in the U.S. He designed the bison-handling facilities with the cooperation of animal behaviorist Temple Grandin, to ensure humane treatment of the animals. At the same time, he created and managed the Inn at Zapata Ranch, a boutique hotel and restaurant, as well as the Great Sand Dunes Golf Course, an 18-hole championship golf course, which was an eco-conscious operation that irrigated with surface water only. In 1999, Hisa and his wife, Kris, sold the property to The Nature Conservancy, eventually relocating to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Overlapping with his life on the range, Hisa worked on a variety of architecture projects from 1987 to 2019, starting as a member of the design team on Arata Isozaki's Team Disney Building in Orlando, Florida. He had his own practice in Colorado and New Mexico designing private residences, including his own award-winning off-grid home; commercial buildings; structures for religious organizations; and art studios. He has also designed and fabricated custom light fixtures and furniture in steel and wood. In addition to being a working artist, he is still a licensed architect in Colorado and a former member of the American Institute of Architects, Santa Fe chapter.