On view in Rollins Museum of Art’s What’s New? Recent Acquisitions exhibition through September 1, 2024 I Need You by Rose B. Simpson is an intriguing addition to the Rollins Museum of Art Collection. Cast in bronze, this sculpture was first realized in clay. Simpson combines ancient traditional pueblo pottery techniques she learned from her mother with innovative materials to create works that speak to her experience and have the potential to spark change
“My hope is that the works that are made make systemic change to benefit the planet. I’m working on building awareness around the energy of colonization, around indigenous culture, bodies, and place.”
Engaging with I Need You
What ideas come to mind as you look at this sculpture? Who do you suppose will resonate with this figurative work?
Capturing a tender embrace between a mother and child, the work may be understood as an expression of human nurturing, care, and love. Though we may accept this work as an enactment of our abstract, shared humanity, Simpson notes that her Puebloan heritage always informs her work, and so it is important to consider how this sculpture is culturally and personally specific to her
Click here to engage further via the Audio Guide for I Need You recorded by David Matteson, Associate Curator of Education at Rollins Museum of Art.
About Rose B. Simpson
Rose B. Simpson is a contemporary, mixed-media artist whose practice examines the lasting effects of colonialism and the manifestations of personal and collective humanity. Born in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, Simpson finds inspiration in the earth of her ancestral homeland and in her indigenous upbringing and culture. Her sculptures are adorned with found objects like beads and leather and often contain the artist’s fingerprints and other markings that emphasize her physical engagement with the material.
Simpson credits her mother, Roxanne Swentzell, for inspiring and teaching her the traditions she references within her artistic practice. Swentzell is a noted contemporary potter, who began sculpting as a child, creating small figurative sculptures to express her emotions. In her preface to a 2020 interview that Simpson conducted with her mother, she shared:
“My mother built our home, farmed the earth to feed her children and community, and made a career of her clay sculpture. Because of her, I sculpt clay. Because of her, I don’t question whether I am able to build cars. Because of her, I can wield a chain saw and chop an adobe the exact right shape. Because of her, I was raised on our ancestral homelands, participating in our cultural practices. Because of her, I can usually figure out a way to get something done with what I have on hand… As capable as I feel, there are so many times I find myself stuck and have to humble myself and ask Mama which approach she would take or has taken in the past. The more life I live, the more I realize I don’t know. ”
Click to read My Mother, The Builder by Rose B. Simpson
View I Need You by Rose B. Simpson in What’s New? Recent Acquisitions at Rollins Museum of Art through September 1. Admission is free.
