Rose B Simpson
I am so excited to say that my guest on the GWA podcast is one of the most exciting artists working in the world right now, Rose B Simpson.\n\nAn artist working across mediums that span from sculpture to performance, painting and ceramics, Simpson is hailed for her life size clay figures which she adorns with a plethora of symbols, extended antennas and materials \u2013 from steel, beads, leather, and wood... She challenges the nature of sculpture in ways, as she has said, that \u201ccan transform my own reality\u201d, and her figures appear to be imbued with spirituality. They have titles like Genesis, Guides, Heights and Vital Organ \u2013 accentuating the importance of the body and rituals. \n\nSimpson was born, and lives and works, in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, and grew up in a multigenerational, matrilineal lineage of artists working in clay, including her mother, whose work is grounded in Pueblo traditions. Her practice is informed by Indigenous tradition, as she has said: \u201cThe work represents my own journey, whether it is a psychological investigation or a new spiritual awareness, or practical\u2026\u201d \n\nA recipient of a BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts, an MFA in Ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2011, and another MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from the Institute of American Indian Arts in 2018, storytelling, history and making seems to be at the centre of her practice \u2013 something she has expanded on further with her artwork Maria \u2013 a black-on-black Lowrider 985 Chevrolet El Camino and artwork and named in honour of Native American artist Maria Martinez, which sits at the heart of her community in Espanola Valley \u2013 and I can\u2019t wait to find out more! \n\nLINKS:\nhttps://www.rosebsimpson.com/works\nhttps://jackshainman.com/artists/rose-b-simpson\nhttps://art21.org/artist/rose-b-simpson/\nhttps://jessicasilvermangallery.com/rose-b-simpson/selected-works/\nhttps://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/rose-b-simpson-legacies/\n\n--\n\nTHIS EPISODE IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE LEVETT COLLECTION:\n\nhttps://www.famm.com/en/\nhttps://www.instagram.com/famm.mougins // https://www.merrellpublishers.com/9781858947037\n\nFollow us:\nKaty Hessel: @thegreatwomenartists / @katy.hessel\nSound editing by Nada Smiljanic\nMusic by Ben Wetherfield