Poem of Stone and Bone

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Poem of Stone and Bone: The Iconography of James W. Washington Jr. in Fourteen Stanzas and Thirty-One Days documents four site-specific installations Carletta Carrington Wilson created in 2011 on the Seattle property of noted African American sculptor James W. Washington Jr. The book evolved out of Wilson's time as an artist-in-residence at the Dr. James and Janie Washington Studio and Cultural Center in the Central District of Seattle, Washington. This house, located at 1816 26th Avenue, honors the life and legacy of Washington, a celebrated African American painter and sculptor and a leading member of the Northwest School of artists. He and his wife, Janie R. Washington, lived there from 1945 to 2000 (they both died in 2000). We read of her discovery of the landscape around the house, the garden, the stones, the wood, the still unfinished stone sculptures, and, in the house itself, the slave chains, the slave galleon, and so much more. The books in the library, together with the stones in the garden and her installations in the house, created an intensely spiritual experience for those of us fortunate enough to have joined her there for the public exhibition. The installation included bones, as well as shoe soles, eggshells, photographs of Washington working, and quotes from some of his interviews.