Rose B. Simpson: Counterculture
As part of the Considering Kin theme, the seven cast-concrete figures in Rose B. Simpson’s Counterculture are witnesses—reminders that the natural world is continuously watching humanity. Despite their over ten foot height, the feminine-bodied forms show grace in their vigilance and space taking, carrying necklaces made of ceramic beads instead of taking up weapons.
Simpson’s sculptures are traveling to different sites across the country, including the grounds of the Art Preserve, where they will observe the seasons shift from summer to fall and into winter. Their presence suggests that we, too, should listen and humble ourselves to the natural world, tuning into the ways in which we are responsible for the exploitation of our environment’s limited resources.
If we know something greater than ourselves is watching, will we do things differently?
Counterculture was created for and originally installed 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 removal experienced by the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, which today is located on their reservation in northeastern Wisconsin, with members also living in other parts of Wisconsin, the United States, and the world.
The Artists
Counterculture is organized by guest curator Jamilee Lacy in partnership with The Trustees and staff at its deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts, as part of its Art & The Landscape initiative. The Trustees gratefully acknowledge support for Art & the Landscape 2022 from The Wagner Foundation and from the following individual donors: Janet and David Offensend, Valentine Talland and Nagesh K. Mahanthappa, Marjorie and Nick Greville, Chris Rifkin, and an anonymous donor.
Land Acknowledgement
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center acknowledges that we in Sheboygan County occupy the traditional homelands of the Ho-Chunk, Potawatomi, Menominee, Oneida, and Ojibwe people along the southwest shores of Michigami. This area holds tremendous value to these Tribes and their cultural history. Let this acknowledgement remind us all that this land was taken from the Native people. Let these words increase public awareness as we honor, respect, and support the Indigenous peoples who are still connected to the land on which we live.
