Counterculture (work of art)
Artwork Info
Key Ideas
- These concrete sculptures are examples of public art.
- The sculptures were created as part of a larger installation (of 12 similar figures) titled Counterculture. Each figure stands over 10 feet tall.
- The artist first sculpted these figures as small clay models, or maquettes. She then carved full-size figures in wood and had molds made from them. She poured concrete into the molds to create the final versions.
- Rose B. Simpson is a contemporary Indigenous American artist from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. She is known for creating mixed media work that explores identity, culture, and history.
- The women of Santa Clara Pueblo have been creating handcrafted ceramics for many generations. They are famous for their blackware and redware pottery.
Learn More
These works were created as part of an installation titled Counterculture. The installation was commissioned in 2022 by the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, as part of its Art and the Landscape initiative. These monumental figures represent a land acknowledgement, recognizing the American Indian communities that originally lived on this land.
Like mothers minding children, the all-seeing, feminine-bodied forms implore us to go forward with respect and honor for all that came before. With eyes that go through their heads, the figures represent watchful presences perpetually observing and reminding us of what the original stewards of these lands already knew: we are all guests in the natural world.
Rose B. Simpson
Rose B. Simpson is a contemporary mixed media artist from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. She is an Indigenous American artist whose work explores identity, culture, and history. Her work includes public art installations, sculpture, performance art, music, and custom cars. Simpson comes from a long line of women artists who have been making traditional pottery since the sixth century. The women of Santa Clara Pueblo (also known as Kha’po Owingeh) are best known for their handmade pottery, especially blackware and redware with deeply engraved details.
To create the figures in her Counterculture installation, Simpson first sculpted them as small clay maquettes, or preliminary models. Then she used a chainsaw and hand tools to carve two slightly different, full-size figures in wood and had silicone molds made from the wood figures. She poured a concrete mixture into the molds and created a total of 12 sculpted figures. Each one is over 10 feet tall. The beads on each figure’s necklace are made of clay the artist harvested from tribal land.
When you see light come through their eyes, it will be like the sky is seeing you.
Rose B. Simpson
Additional Resources
Resources for Teachers
- Read an article about Rose B. Simpson.
- Read an article about Simpson’s Counterculture installation.
- Visit a website to learn about the Santa Clara Pueblo.
- Watch a video about the process of creating cast concrete sculptures.
Resources for Students
- Watch a documentary about Rose B. Simpson.
- Visit Simpson’s website to view an online gallery of her work and read her artist statement.
- Watch a video about an exhibition of Simpson’s sculptures.
- View photos of pottery made by the women of the Santa Clara Pueblo.
Images
-
Counterculture