Artwork copyright Sarah Prentiss. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Sarah Prentiss. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Koi, Ise, Japan, 1985

Sarah Prentiss
American (born 1943)

Location: Ocosta Junior-Senior High School, Westport

About the Artwork

Artist Sarah Prentiss captured the colorful photograph Koi, Ise, Japan during a spring festival. Ise is a coastal city on Japan's main island of Honshu. She notes, "There Koi, meaning carp in English, symbolically represent children. Throughout late April and May large colorful carp-shaped banners fly from the rooftops of Japanese houses in honor of the family's offspring. I found these actual carp swimming in a shallow pool to be equally as colorful and visually delightful as their festive wind-filled representations."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Ocosta School District.

About the Artist

Sarah Prentiss is a Seattle-based photographer. She was born in New York City and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography from the University of Washington in Seattle. She has served as a photography instructor for the Skagit Valley Community College in Mount Vernon, Northwestern Washington and for workshops at the University of Washington.