Daughter 3

Copied Rose B. Simpson, Daughter 3, 2024, ceramic, twine, grout, and steel, 82 x 37 1⁄2 x 17 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2025.6A-C, Images courtesy the artist and Jessica Silverman. Photographer: Brad Trone

Artwork Details

Title
Daughter 3
Artist
Date
2024
Location
Dimensions
82 x 37 1⁄2 x 17 in.
Copyright
Images courtesy the artist and Jessica Silverman. Photographer: Brad Trone
Credit Line
Gift of the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
ceramic, twine, grout, and steel
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure female — full length
Object Number
2025.6A-C
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2025.6A-C

Artwork Description

Can a sculpture portray a soul? Rose B. Simpson says each figure in her Daughters series is a "soul-portrait" of a woman from her chosen family, or "sistren." Handbuilt from clay, this figure portrays the artist balancing a cylinder. It embodies "the feeling of being as steady as possible." 

Simpson notes, "I was raised in a post-apocalyptic community--one that barely survived the genocide. . . ." She presents her series Daughters, which is "about play, power, beauty, self-worth, and most importantly, love," as part of a reparative process that envisions a future grounded in Indigenous sovereignty and healing.