Oral history interview with James W. Washington, Jr.
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 31 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Washington, James W., Jr. (1908-2000)
label: Interviewer
content: Bestor, Dorothy K., 1913-
label: Names
content: New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project
topic: label: Topic
content: Federal aid to the arts
label: Topic
content: Painting, American
label: Topic
content: Sculpture, American
label: Topic
content: African American artists
label: Topic
content: Painters -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Sculptors -- Washington (State) -- Seattle -- Interviews
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Washington, James W., Jr. (1908-2000)
label: Interviewer
content: Bestor, Dorothy K., 1913-
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: James W. Washington, Jr. (1908-2000) was an African American painter and sculptor prominent in the Seattle, Washington art community. Religion was an important part of his life and he considered his art to be a spiritual undertaking. In addition to being active in his church community, he was a member of the Artists Equity Association, serving as the Seattle Chapter secretary from 1950 to 1960, and then as the president from 1960 to 1962. In 1990 the City of Seattle's Historic Landmark and Preservation Board designated Washington's home and studio at 1816 26th Avenue a cultural landmark.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 16 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1965 October 13
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.washin65
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The original transcript was edited. In 2021 the Archives retranscribed the original audio and attempted to create a verbatim transcript. This interview was audited and edited by Allison Tracy-Taylor in 2025.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview with James W. Washington, Jr. conducted 1965 October 13, by Dorothy K. Bestor, for the Archives of American Art.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Washington discusses his participation in the Mississippi Art Project, the effect it had on his career, and government sponsorship of the arts in general. He recalls segregation in the Mississippi art world.