Robert James Schoppert

(American | Tlingit, born 1947, died 1992)

Artist Robert James "Jim" Schoppert (1947-1992) drew inspiration and influence from his Tlingit (Native Alaskan) heritage. He created paintings, carvings, and other artworks that articulate Native Alaskan traditions and identities, while pushing into modernism and abstraction.

Schoppert attended Anchorage Community College, before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture and Printmaking from the University of Alaska in 1978 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1981. Schoppert taught at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) as a guest professor and gave presentations at elementary schools throughout Alaska and Washington. He was also known for his poetry and essays.