Artwork copyright Barbara Earl Thomas. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Everything Time Studio, 2024.
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Artwork copyright Barbara Earl Thomas. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2025.
Head in the Clouds, 2018
Barbara Earl Thomas
American (born 1948)
Location: Star Lake Elementary, Kent
About the Artwork
Head in the Clouds by Barbara Earl Thomas is a papercut artwork that presents a tension-filled story. Thomas pulls from history to challenge the stories we tell as Americans, about who we are.
This artwork is part of a curated collection by Asia Tail in April 2024 for three Federal Way Public Schools in South King County. Asia chose graphic works that are as bold and diverse as the students, by artists with ties to South Puget Sound. Images of language, people, and the natural world create a poem for this place where students live and learn. She notes, "School is a place where we can connect with new families. And families are always strongest when working together."
This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Federal Way Public Schools.
About the Artist
Artist and writer Barbara Earl Thomas creates visual narratives that investigate social, psychological, and formal themes. Her art is informed by a "long and consistent practice of including the world in her art and her life in the world." She works in many mediums and materials, including painting, glass, paper, metal, wood, and egg tempera.Barbara Earl Thomas earned her Master of Arts degree in 1977 from the University of Washington in Seattle. She is a former Director of the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle. In 2016, she was honored with a Washington State Governor's Arts and Heritage Award and the Twining Humber Award for lifetime artistic achievement.
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