Heights I
Rose B. Simpson, Kha'p'o Owingeh (Santa Clara Pueblo) / American, born 1983
2022
Patinated bronze and wire
Overall: 85 × 16 × 9 1/2 in. (215.9 × 40.6 × 24.1 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Museum purchase with support from Alyssa and Andrew Klein '89
© Rose B. Simpson. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco
2023.8
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
21st century
Object Name
Sculpture
Research Area
Sculpture
Native American: Southwest
On view
Label
Heights I is Rose B. Simpson’s first bronze edition and marks a significant addition to her celebrated collection of clay beings. Cast from an original clay sculpture, the androgynous figure bears Simpson’s unique signifiers, including absent limbs and a quiet yet resolute expression.
Childlike in scale, the figure becomes life-sized with a series of cuplike vessels extending upward from its head. Asymmetrical earrings reference the sky through the star shapes on one ear and the rainbows and rain drops on the other. The space in the holes of the eyes creates a witness point for the being, a place of entry connecting the grounded figure to the heights above.
In the artist’s own words: "This series is about actively raising one’s own consciousness to meet the incoming growth . . . What does that look like? How do I preemptively increase my capacities for what is to come? I experiment with what that feels like, how that looks on me, how can I gracefully take up the space that is meant for me."
Heights I is a contemplative and powerful sculpture that serves as a visual metaphor and reminder to Dartmouth students of the growth, experimentation, and inner strength they will experience during their time on campus.
Exhibition History
Exhibited outdoors, opposite main entrance of Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, September 26, 2023.
Provenance
Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco, California; sold to present collection, 2023.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu