Mixed-media artist Rose B. Simpson lives in her ancestral home of Khaap’o Owingeh in Northern New Mexico. Her ancestry which dates back thousands of years is only one of the legacies of honor that Simpson carries. She is also the daughter and granddaughter of the renowned sculptor, and ceramic artist Roxanne Swentzell, and activist and architect Rina Swentzell, respectively.

Speaking of her matrilineal line, Simpson states, “I think lineage has a lot to do with respect and humility. My mother would not have had the recognition and platform for her work if my grandmother hadn’t created that for her, and my great grandmother hadn’t created that for her daughters. We’re all sort of creating this next step for our next generations.”  The Pueblo is where Simpson has chosen to raise her daughter. As her spirituality is heuristic, home is her place to both live and practice.

Continuing, Simpson shares, “As an Indigenous person living in my ancestral home of Khaap’o Owingeh in Northern New Mexico, I deeply feel how capitalism and white supremacy continue to violently colonize the landscape, culture, and life-ways of this ancient family we call ecosystem.  My work is intended to translate our humanity back to ourselves. I hope that I can educate some people on issues of unconsciousness around race, gender, and history, and I hope to honor lived experiences of those who have suffered Post Colonial Stress Disorder.”

Currently, Simpson is working on a public project called “Counterculture” that will be installed across from Plymouth Rock in the Spring of 2022. She is also in the midst of a residency with the Fabric Workshop, which will result in a solo exhibition there in Fall 2022. Both of these projects investigate empowerment and nurturing of the self. Simpson is exploring what this looks like.
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* Rose's cover page photo credit: Minesh Bacrania

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