Artwork copyright Robert James Schoppert. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Seal Drum Sculpture, 1991

Robert James Schoppert
American Tlingit (born 1947, died 1992)

Location: Dearborn Park International Elementary School, Seattle

About the Artwork

Inspired by the complex masks worn during Native Alaskan dances, late artist Robert James Schoppert's Seal Drum Sculpture portrays combined elements of both human and animal features in abstracted forms and expressive colors.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Seattle Public Schools.

About the Artist

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.