Robert James "Jim" Schoppert (May 28, 1947 – September 2, 1992) was an

Tlingit The Tlingit or Lingít ( ) are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. , they constitute two of the 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, Tribes of Alaska. Most Tlingit are Alaska Natives; ...

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

artist and educator. His work includes woodcarving, painting, poetry, and essays. He has been described as an innovator, whose works pushed the boundaries of what was expected from

Northwest Coast art Northwest Coast art is the term commonly applied to a style of art created primarily by artists from Tlingit, Haida, Heiltsuk, Nuxalk, Tsimshian, Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and other First Nations and Native American tribes of the Northwes ...

. Throughout his career he spoke on behalf of Alaska Native artists and visual artists in general. He taught at the

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-, National Sea Grant College Program, sea-, and National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, space-grant research university in ...

(UAF) as a guest professor and gave presentations and lectures at elementary schools throughout the states of

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Early life

Schoppert was born in

Juneau, Alaska Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Southeast Alaska, Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the ...

to a

( or ) mother and a father of German descent.''Jim Schoppert: Instrument of Change: Retrospective Exhibition''.

Anchorage Museum of History and Art Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan ...

, Anchorage, 1997.

Career

In 1973, Schoppert came to

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

for a construction job which, it turned out, was no longer available. On February 26 of that year, using the last of his money, he bought a piece of

soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium-rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in sub ...

and carved an owl.Julie Decker. Icebreakers: Alaska's Most Innovative Artists. Anchorage Museum, Anchorage, 1999. He put it up for sale at the urging of his sister and was able to sell it quickly, which marked the formal beginning of his career as an artist. Understanding that knowledge was important, he went on to earn a BFA from the

University of Alaska Anchorage The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna C ...

and a MFA from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. But "his apprenticeship was with himself" according to Steven Brown, associate curator at the

Seattle Art Museum The Seattle Art Museum (commonly known as SAM) is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The museum operates three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum in ...

. Continuing to produce work while still an undergraduate, he won first place in the statewide ''Earth, Fire and Fiber'' juried show in 1976. This sculpture should have been an indication of things to come as it was a separation from his customary work which would define him as an artist and create controversy and curiosity in later years. Although he created art using the formline, he chose a different approach for a great deal of his work that did not neatly fit into either mainstream or

. He was quoted as saying "There is tremendous pressure for conformity from collectors and scholars, who want work that fits into the classic definition of Northwest Indian art. When things don't fit their expectations there's a raised eyebrow, and a sort of suggestion of 'What do we do with it now?'". This mindset is what allowed Schoppert to create his most recognizable pieces which are large carved panels made of multiple planks, painted in colors not associated with historical Tlingit carving, and the planks rearranged to create an entirely new look and a break from established methods and formline. Examples of this style are seen in his works ''Teasing Eagle'' and ''Raven Opens Box of Stars''. During his career as an artist he also served on the state arts councils of both

and

. He created the North Coast Indian flat design that is on the entrance to the west end of the

I-90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

tunnel in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. There are several of his works throughout Alaska and Washington. This includes one of the last pieces he made, a large carving for the

Port of Seattle The Port of Seattle is a public agency that is in King County, Washington. It oversees the seaport of Seattle as well as Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. With a portfolio of properties ranging from parks and waterfront real estate, to ...

to be installed at the

Seattle–Tacoma International Airport Seattle–Tacoma International Airport is the primary international airport serving Seattle and its surrounding metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is in the city of SeaTac, which was named after the airport's nickname Se ...

Artwork

Schoppert's artwork covered a wide range of techniques such as woodcarving, abstract paintings, drawings, mask making, and, most notably, his large, carved panel pieces. The wood panel pieces are also what created some controversy over whether his art was mainstream or Northwest Coastal. Schoppert learned that the Tlingit formline that was considered the customary method was only a relatively recent development among the Northwest Indian. It was his opinion that enforcing the practices of the 1850s or 1950s as the rule for all time amounted to artistic tyranny. He has been quoted as saying "Learn the rules, then break them". When talking about his panels, his intention was to further the art by following what he considered its natural progression. "If Art has a Master, Imagination cracks the whip".(1987) It is clear that he was true to his beliefs when examining his work. He went beyond the boundaries of established Northwest Coastal art and was a contributor to the evolution of contemporary Native art.Smithsonian National Museum on the American Indian of Change: Retrospective Exhibition 1947-1992
/ref> Modern Mask 1992

Although Schoppert is best known for his panels, he also produced several pieces that followed conventional methods and formline design. This is most evident in his mask making, an example of Jim using this style can be found in his mask ''Forehead Mask'' (1977) and ''Mussel Shell Rattle'' (1992). In addition he had several paintings and drawings that incorporate Indigenous subject matter but do not use of formline.

Exhibitions

* 1984: "The New Native American Aesthetic", Marilyn Butler Gallery, Santa Fe * 1984: C.N. Gorman Museum at

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

* 1985: "New Ideas from Old Traditions", Yellowstone Arts Center * 1985: North Central Washington Museum,

Wenatchee, WA Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. Located in the north-central part of the state ...

* 1985: "Visage Transcended: Contemporary Native American Masks", American Indian Contemporary Arts Gallery, San Francisco * 1985: Second Biennial Invitational,

Heard Museum The Heard Museum is a private, not-for-profit museum in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art. It presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitio ...

, Phoenix * 1986: "What is Native American Art?'" * 1989: "Native American Expressions of Surrealism", Sacred Circle Gallery,

* 1990: "Northern Lights", SunRunner,

Ojai Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...

, CA * 1990: "Eleven Stories", Sacred Circle Gallery, Seattle * 1991: "Eleventh Anniversary Show", Stonington Gallery, Seattle * 1991: "Raw Materials", Sacred Circle Gallery, Seattle * 1991: "A Northern Perspectives", The Legacy Ltd., Seattle * 1992: "Salmon:Ritual and Resource," Stonington Gallery, Seattle * 1992: "Visions of Alaska", Denise Wallace Gallery, Santa Fe * 1992: "Instrument of Change: Retrospective Exhibition", Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Posthumous

Schoppert's final exhibition was hosted by the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center seven years after he died, putting together a traveling exhibit that contained 50 pieces of art, and selected essays and poems as a tribute to a great Alaska Native artist and recognized him as transformational "whose unique artistic expression contributed to the evolution of contemporary native art". Sponsored by the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

, this exhibit was displayed in the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

from October 3, 1999, to February 6, 2000, at the museum's

George Gustav Heye Center The National Museum of the American Indian–New York, the George Gustav Heye Center, is a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in Manhattan, New York City. The museum is part of the Sm ...

References

External links

Seattle PI Archives
"Memorial Service for Tlingit Artist Robert James Schoppert"
Seattle International Airport Permanent Art List

Alaska Art
James Schoppert biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Schoppert, James 1947 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists 20th-century American painters 20th-century Native American artists 20th-century indigenous painters of the Americas American male sculptors 20th-century Alaska Native people American people of German descent Artists from Anchorage, Alaska Artists from Seattle Native American painters Native American sculptors Native American woodcarvers Native American writers Northwest Coast art People from Juneau, Alaska Tlingit writers University of Alaska Anchorage alumni University of Alaska Fairbanks faculty University of Washington alumni Sculptors from Washington (state) Tlingit male artists Tlingit artists