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Spirit of the Earth by Bob Haozous
Photo CreditPhoto courtesy of McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc.
Spirit of the Earth
Photo CreditPhoto courtesy of McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc.

Spirit of the Earth

Artist
Year1995
Classification sculpture
Medium steel
Dimensions432 x 254 x 14 in. (1097.3 x 645.2 x 35.6 cm)
Credits Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
  • Bob Haozous has created a cut plate mild steel sculpture for the new Truck Inspection Facility at the U.S./Mexican border in Otay Mesa, California.  Respecting the Mexican, Native American, and American cultures, he created a 8 x 20 feet rectangular piece that rests on steel I-beams welded to vertical supports for the northwest corner of the site.  The sculpture depicts a central, reclining, flute-playing figure known as the kokopelli, the most widely recognized fertility symbol in southwestern Pre-Columbian art. It is flanked on the right by an eagle, Native American or American, and on the left by a crouching Aztec figure. Cloud-like images border three sides, while the base alternates cars and trucks. Airplanes fill the sky.  Haozous wanted a simple expression for the border.  He specifically designed the sculpture to rise over thirty feet high, challenging the commercial signage nearby.  Haozous is a Native American of Chiricahua Apache heritage and the son of Allan Houser, also a nationally known sculptor.