Photo CreditPhoto courtesy of McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc.
Spirit of the Earth
Artist
Bob Haozous
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
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
- 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.