Artwork copyright James Washington, Jr.. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright James Washington, Jr.. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Abraham's Well at Ur, in the Land of the Chaldeans, 1989

James Washington, Jr.
(American, born 1911, died 2000)

Location: Tacoma Community College, Tacoma

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Abraham's Well at Ur, in the Land of the Chaldeans by Northwest artist James Washington Jr. is an example of the artist's exploration of biblical and spiritual subjects. The title and the sculpture reference a story about a well that was dug by Abraham in the Bible's Book of Genesis. Washington grew up in a religious household, as his father was a Baptist minister. Throughout his entire life, he was very spiritual. He believed that his art was guided by a "spiritual force," which he described as a combination of religious and humanist beliefs.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

The sculptures and paintings of artist James Washington, Jr. address issues of racism, identity, and truth. They are informed by a deep spirituality. Washington is most known for his stone carvings.

James Washington, Jr. was born in Mississippi during the Jim Crow era of segregation. He began his artistic career organizing an exhibition of black artists sponsored by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. He and his wife moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1944, where he studied with celebrated Seattle painter Mark Tobey. An important figure in the Seattle artistic community for decades, he was the subject of several major museum retrospectives at the Frye Art Museum, the Bellevue Arts Museum, and the Washington State History Museum. He was honored with a Washington State Governor's Arts and Heritage Award in 1970.