The seven cast concrete figures composing Rose B. Simpson’s Counter-culture are meant to serve as witnesses – reminders that the natural world is constantly watching over mankind. The work is on display at the Art Preserve in Sheboygan, Wisconsin until February 25, 2024.
Simpson’s sculptures travel to different sites across the country. Installed on the grounds of the preserve art at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, they will observe the Midwestern seasons change from summer to fall and winter.
Female-bodied forms aim to show grace in their alertness and poise, wearing necklaces made of ceramic beads instead of taking up arms. Their presence suggests that we, too, should listen and humble ourselves to the natural world, and tune in to how we are responsible for exploiting the limited resources of our environment.
Simpson is descended from a Native American tribe famous for ceramics made by women since the 6th century. Her work builds on this tradition with new materials and methods. Each dyed and cast concrete figurine stands approximately 10 feet tall. Their textured, earth-toned shapes pay homage to landscapes near and far. The figures are adorned with cables and ceramic necklaces that Simpson fashioned with fireclay from his native lands in New Mexico.
Counter-culture was originally created and settled on the ancestral lands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians in present-day Williamstown, Massachusetts. The sculptures’ move to Wisconsin traces the path of forced estrangement experienced by the Stockbridge-Munsee community, which today is located on their reservation in northeastern Wisconsin, with members also living in other parts of the state, across the United States and around the world.
The Art Preserve presents the John Michael Kohler Center for the Artsthe famous collection of environments created by artists through immersive installations and curated presentations. Free entry.
For more information, visit jmkac.org.
Counter-culture is curated by guest curator Jamilee Lacy in partnership with The Trustees and sound staff at Cordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts, as part of her Art & The Landscape initiative. The trustees gratefully acknowledge the support of Art & the Landscape 2022 from the Wagner Foundation and the following individual donors: Janet and David Offensend, Valentine Talland and Nagesh K. Mahanthappa, Marjorie and Nick Greville, Chris Rifkin and one anonymous donor.
