Artwork copyright Tom Anderson. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Tom Anderson. Photo courtesy of the artist.

River of Knowledge, 2017

Tom Anderson
American (born 1951)

Location: Salk Middle School, Spokane

About the Artwork

River of Knowledge by Tom Anderson is an eight-panel wall sculpture featuring imagery that connects art, science, history, and the natural world. It represents and celebrates "the flow of life, transition and knowledge, cellular structures, the spiral journey, and the natural world." Anderson notes that the imagery is "inspired by the Spokane River as a metaphor for change and the work of Dr. Jonas Salk as an inspiration and supporter of education." The school is named for Dr. Salk, an American medical researcher who developed one of the first successful polio vaccines.

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

About the Artist

Olympia, Washington-based artist Tom Anderson creates prints, paintings, metalworks, and mixed-media constructions. In his own words, "I am usually not thinking so much about a finished work, but am inspired, accepting and mystified by the process of creating it."
In 1971, Anderson earned an Associate of Arts degree from Clark College in Vancouver, Southwestern Washington. In 1973, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian art and philosophy at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Western Washington.