Artwork copyright Robert Passig. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Robert Passig. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Robert Passig. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Stick 'Em Up, 1981

Robert Passig
American (born 1949)

Location: Pioneer Elementary School, Shelton

About the Artwork

Stick 'Em Up by Robert Passig is a portrait of the land and history of the San Joaquin River Delta in Sacramento, Northern California. The levees were built in the late 1800s by Chinese immigrant laborers who were given land grants that were later mostly taken away for large-scale agriculture. Their abandoned homes often had small gardens. Passig notes, “rivers have always been a source of interest in natural and cultural histories and for personal solace… This painting is a re-imagined collage of abandoned gardening by the remaining laborers. The sticks were left from previous crops.” The “abandoned, discarded, detritus of society” is a theme throughout Passig’s art.

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

About the Artist

Seattle-based artist Robert Passig creates paintings and sculptures.
Born in Seattle, Passig received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Washington University in Ellensburg. He received Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. He has taught art at national and international institutions, including schools in Nepal and Sri Lanka, as well as Port Townsend, Washington, and San Francisco, California.