West Foster is a printmaker, poet, and musician whose linocut work merges spiritual reverence with historical reflection. Raised on Long Island and educated at Harvard College, Foster found his artistic footing in the historic Bow & Arrow Press in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, he discovered the meditative rigor of printmaking—the choreography of ink, pressure, and carved precision—and began using the medium as a vehicle for ancestral veneration and Afro-diasporic storytelling.
Foster’s practice is deeply informed by his studies in Social Anthropology and African American Studies. His linocut series Ancestors Exalted emerges from this intersection of scholarship and spirit—each print a tribute to intergenerational knowledge, Black identity, and the enduring legacies of Afro-Jamaican heritage. His work is tactile and symbolic, drawing from ethnographic research and ritual forms to elevate everyday materials into offerings of remembrance.
A true multidisciplinary artist, Foster’s visual language is steeped in lyrical thinking. Whether on the page, the stage, or the press bed, his themes remain constant: lineage, resilience, and transformation.
Currently Exhibiting in: Bushwick, Brooklyn
Instagram: @westfosterart
LinkedIn: Daniel West Foster
Foster’s work has been recognized nationally. His piece Ancestors Exalted was recently selected for inclusion in Bound by the Beverleys a landmark exhibition at Dumbarton Oaks that foregrounds the contributions and memory of enslaved Africans. This milestone placement affirms Foster’s place in a growing movement of artists who use printmaking to speak both personally and politically—to honor what was uprooted, and to nourish what still grows.
Featured Artwork at Bushwick Gallery
Ancestors Exalted
Year of Creation: 2023
Medium: Linocut Print, Rubber Ink on Cardstock
Dimensions: 17 in x 13 in
Edition Type: Artist Proof
Location: Long Island, NY
Price: $1,200
Description
Ancestors Exalted is a layered linocut print that intertwines history, botany, and Black memory. Two silhouetted figures—a woman and a man—face one another in quiet recognition, set against a backdrop of breadfruit leaves rendered in lush greens. The plant, introduced to Jamaica as sustenance for enslaved people, becomes a botanical witness to a story of forced migration. Beneath them, an arched base of yellow ink glows like the Caribbean sun—illuminating not only survival but sacred continuity.
This work is a prayer in print. A tribute to those who endured. A testament to what remains.
Exhibition Information
May 2025: Echoes of the Earth – Environmental Art
Curated by: Mekhi Deleon
Theme: Exploring the intersection of art and environmentalism, advocating for the planet through eco-art and other mediums.
Exhibition Dates: May 1 – May 8, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 1 | 6 PM – 8 PM
(for accessibility: full transcript below)
A silhouette. A memory. A root system unfolding across time.
In Ancestors Exalted, West Foster offers a quiet invocation. Two figures face one another, their profiles dark against fields of luminous green and yellow. The shapes are simple, but their meaning is vast.
Look closer—the backdrop teems with breadfruit leaves, a symbol of nourishment and survival carried across oceans by the enslaved. Beneath the figures, a golden arc rises like the Caribbean sun, casting both memory and blessing.
Foster’s linocut technique is tactile, rhythmic, meditative. Each carved line honors what was uprooted, what endured, and what continues to grow.
Ancestors Exalted is more than an image. It is a hymn for resilience, an offering placed gently at the crossroads of history and hope.