Artwork copyright Fox Spears. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Fox Spears. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Yakima Valley Photography, 2022.

Artwork copyright Fox Spears. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Yakima Valley Photography, 2021.

Artwork copyright Fox Spears. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Yakima Valley Photography, 2021.

Artwork copyright Fox Spears. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Yakima Valley Photography, 2021.

Untitled (2014SW8), 2014

Fox Spears
(American | Karuk, born 1978)

Location: Simcoe Elementary, Wapato

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Fox Spears (Karuk) makes his monotype prints by pairing and layering geometric tribal patterns from Karuk baskets with organic shapes. The shapes normally reference landscape elements, like mountains or water. Spears describes the relationship that Indigenous people have with land as a way of existing in the world around them that is not about any specific physical location.

Monotype prints like this one are where Spears first began experimenting with geometric designs inspired by Karuk basketry patterns. Printmaking has been his most consistent medium during the 2010s.

Monotype prints are made by painting directly onto a printing plate, and then transferring that onto paper or another surface. Only one print can be made from the plate.

This artwork is part of a curated collection by Philippe Hyojung Kim in 2021 at Simcoe Elementary, in Wapato, Central Washington. The local art selection committee stressed the following interests: artworks that represent Wapato’s diverse families and its rural and agricultural communities; the connection to the Yakama Nation; and artworks that focus on balance and are reflective of young minds.

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

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Fox Spears (Karuk) reinterprets traditional Karuk basketry designs into prints, paintings, drawings, and sculpture. His compositions reference geometric, organic, and landscape elements. He notes, "All the work I make is a deliberate continuance of Karuk culture. Regardless of my motives, the creation and presence of my art is an inherent act of resistance against colonial assimilation. My art is made with these intentions: to thank and honor my ancestors, to acknowledge and heal historical trauma, and to help build new Indigenous futures." The Karuk are one of the Indigenous peoples of Northwestern California.

Spears was born and grew up in Western Washington. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle in 2010. He was based in Seattle until 2022 and now lives in Florida.