ROSE SIMPSON

– ROSE SIMPSON –

Santa Clara Pueblo, 1983—

Rose B. Simpson is a highly regarded Native American artist, known for her multidisciplinary approach that spans ceramics, sculpture, painting, fashion, music, and automotive art. Born in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, she is the daughter of two influential artists: Roxanne Swentzell, a renowned ceramicist, and Patrick Simpson, a sculptor and woodworker. Her work is deeply informed by her Indigenous heritage and a desire to explore themes of identity, gender, tradition, and contemporary life. 

Simpson seeks to challenge and expand upon the conventional expectations often placed on Native American artists through the blending of traditional techniques with modern and experimental practices. Her work reflects a dynamic fusion of influences, ranging from Indigenous pottery techniques, sculpture and woodworking to contemporary practice. The artist often adds found objects, such as metal and wood, each resonating with the unique subject and deepening her artistic expression.

Simpson’s work has been featured in many exhibitions across the United States and Internationally. She has exhibited at prominent venues such as the National Gallery of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the Berkeley Art Museum and was included in the 2024 Whitney Biennial at the Whitney Museum. Most recently, Simpson had a solo exhibition titled Journeys of Clay at the Norton Museum of Art. The artist has had sculptures commissioned from the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Cleveland Museum and Madison Square Park Conservancy. 

Rose Simpson’s work is included in the permanent collections of institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum, the Guggenheim, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Princeton University Art Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among many others.