What's Precious

 

Before leaving the Heard Museum last Saturday, I made a pass through the gift shop.  To me, the gift shop is like going into another gallery because of the many beautiful things there to see.  

I found another new sculpture by the artist I've mentioned several times before, Roxanne Swentzell.  This one is called "What's Precious".  I love the expression on this little lady's face as she peers into the palm of her hand and something "precious" inside.  

I've posted so many of Roxanne's work on this blog that I decided to create a label to identify the posts containing her work.  If you want to see other posts, click the label below of "Swentzell".  

While I was searching my photos to find all the "Swentzell" photos to put the label on, I came a cross an old photo that never made it onto the blog.  This is another Roxanne Swentzell sculpture called "Emergence of the Clowns" that I photographed in 2017.  This sculpture represents the ascendance of the Pueblo People into this world.  The Koshare or Sacred Clowns are remembering the migration of the First People.  

Just one more wonderful sculpture to add to my collection of photos of her wonderful artwork.  

Roxanne's "Babies"

 

I was at the Heard Museum over the last weekend and spent some time in the museum gift shop. That's where I saw this sculpture created by Roxanne Swentzell, an artist I've admired for several years.  I've featured her work before, most recently here .  

She created this piece as a tribute to the Santa Fe Indian Market.  The description card shown in the photo states:

"I sold at the Santa Fe Indian Market for 18 years.  This piece is a dedication to this great event.  'Making Babies for Indian Market' is about the creative process. My pieces are like children that are born through me.  It's about all the 'babies of artwork' born because of Indian Market."

"Heard" and Seen

 

These little ladies sitting on this shelf are sculptures by Native American artist Roxanne Swentzell.  They were on display in the newly renovated gift shop at the Heard Museum.  The piece is called "Heard" and the artist's statement reads "To speak your truth and be really heard is so important. Being able to hear another whole heartedly is also so important. These two women are expressing these states of sharing and receiving.  I think we could use more of this in the world today."  Amen to that!

The sculpture to the left is also by Roxanne Swentzell.  However, this sculpture was found in a display case in the southwestern art section of the Art Institute of Chicago.  I was pleased to see an artist I've admired here in Arizona represented in such a prestigious art museum so far away from her home state.  This piece is called "Admiration". 

You can see some other pieces of Roxanne's art here and here.  

Life Imitating Art

 

While I'm on the subject of life imitating art, I decided to post this photo that has been in my files for several years.  My sister Judy took this several years ago when she visited Phoenix and we went to the Heard Museum.  She spotted this lady sitting on the bench and almost mimicking the statue behind her.

The statue is called "Window to the Past" by Native American sculptor Roxanne Swentzell.  

I wonder if my sister remembers this photo.  

Remembering the Future

 

When I went to the Heard Museum opening last Friday, there was a second exhibit on display that I hadn't seen yet.  It is called "Remembering the Future" and it featured what are called masterworks that are part of the Museum's collections.  There were quite a lot of beautiful pieces in the exhibit. I thought this one was fascinating.  It was originally part of an exhibit of works by mothers and daughters.  The sculpture on the right is by Roxanne Swentzell and the one on the left is by her daughter Rose Simpson.  The painting in the background is "The Grand Canyon" by Tony Abeyta.  It makes a great backdrop for the two sculptures.

This piece is called "Symbolism III" by Dan Namingha, a well know Native American artist.  I love the abstract look to this one.

The abstract piece above is another that I liked.  This one is by Emmi Whitehorse.  

To the left is "Totem" by George Morrison, an artist who is expressing the totem pole in a different context.  

Behind it is a painting called "Buffalo Dance" by Charles Loloma.  

There are a lot of wonderful pieces in this exhibit.  Many I had seen before but it was fun to see them presented in a different way.