Artist Statement

When asked to do a piece for the city of Santa Fe's new Community Civic Center, I had to stop and ask the question, "What does this town need to see?" Most cities began as several nucleus families building a life together in a favorable location. Santa Fe was originally a Pueblo village long before the Europeans arrived. The Pueblos were all about community.   Everything was structured to include everyone in the activities of the village and ceremonial world.   If I were given one image to capture the "seed" or beginnings of this state of community consciousness, it would be a child born within an extended family in which they come around him/her in total support. A child so honored KNOWS they are wanted and a vital part of their world. This is what I wanted Santa Fe to see. This is what I want all of us to remember: It takes a whole community to raise a child to become a healthy part of the Whole. Our world today has, for the most part forgotten this, but maybe we can find it again.

-Roxanne Swentzell

Fabrication

Completing an earthenware relief in the scale of "Family" is a significant technical achievement.  Swentzell constructed the piece on the third floor of her Tower Gallery in Pojoaque over a more than nine-month period.  The final piece consists of numerous individual clay pieces.  Each unit was carefully sculpted by Swentzell from a single, solid piece of clay.  Once air-dried to a point that allowed for handling, she then scraped the backside of each piece to within a 1" to 1 ½" thickness.  Each piece was fired by Swentzell on-site and then affixed to a wooden backing, grouped with several other small pieces.  These groups were then mounted to the lobby wall over a three-day period.

Artist

Swentzell is an award-winning Native American artist whose work has been exhibited at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ and the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC.  She has participated in Indian Market for more than 20 years.  Her figures represent a full range of emotions and irrepressible moods.   Swentzell focuses a lot on interpretative female portraits attempting to bring back the balance of power between the male and female, inherently recognized in her own culture.   Additionally, she increasingly uses a powerful sense of humor to communicate.

Artist's Bio