James W. Washington Jr. (1909–2000)
1816 26th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122
206-709-4241
ABOUT
Visitors will hear presentations about the life of the Washingtons, tour the house, selections of Dr. James W. Washington‘s art collection and library, garden, and studio, receive literature/brochures to take home.
SPECIAL RESOURCES
“Art is the holy land wherein initiates seek to reveal the spirituality of matter. As such, art can be counted as one of the supreme sources of the triumph of the spirit . . .”
— James W. Washington Jr.
James W. Washington Jr. (1909–2000)
Visionary artist James Winston Washington, Jr. is one of the most celebrated sculptors from the Northwest. He received much acclaim for his sculptures during his long life and now his early paintings are being rediscovered after his death. Washington’s close friends remember him as an orator, an educator, a poet, and an artist who tried to make visible the connection between spirituality and creativity.
LEARN MORE
James W. Washington, Jr. migrated to Bremerton, Washington in 1944. Although the state of Washington now claims him, the Mississippi-born artist was actually part of a larger migration of southern blacks seeking war industry work on the West Coast. Once here he set roots in the state working in a variety of government jobs while continuing his artistic pursuits in the evenings and weekends.
Washington’s motivation and confidence is evident in his visit to the Little Gallery in Seattle in 1945 where he met the gallery owner and asked for a show. Impressed with the small painting he brought with him, the owner agreed to show his work and introduced Washington to one of Seattle’s artistic luminaries – Mark Tobey. The older artist, also spiritual in orientation, forged a life-long bond with Washington. Through Tobey, Washington was befriended by many other artists. With Mark Tobey’s encouragement and Washington’s self-confidence led to a successful life in art.
Although he had no formal training in art, Washington appears to have been practicing his craft for a life time. In a 1952 Seattle Times article Washington recalls being in grade school in the south and seeing another boy draw a cowboy. Washington remembers he spent months trying to draw the same picture and from then on his passion was art. Most of his life Washington worked a nine-to-five job to support himself and his wife Janie. His free time was spent doing art.
IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NATIONAL TRUST
Saving Historic Sites
How the Artistic Legacy of Dr. James and Janie Washington Continues to Inspire
