Roxanne Swentzell
(1962 - ) |
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Social issues and the challenge of self-identity as well as the importance of place, family, community and the past Art Work
| Name: |
Roxanne Swentzell |
| Gender: |
Female |
| Place of Birth: |
Taos, New Mexico |
| Nationality: |
American Indian/Santa Clara Pueblo |
| Birth: |
1962 |
| Death: |
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| Website: |
http://www.swentzell.com/ |
| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
Social issues and the challenge of self-identity as well as the importance of place, family, community and the past |
| Medium: |
Clay |
| Method: |
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| Style: |
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| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Sculpture
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Biography
Born on the Santa Clara pueblo and raised in Santa Fe, Roxanne Swentzell's early life was a blend of pueblo influences and the non-Indian world. Her New Jersey-born father, Ralph Swentzell, is a college teacher while her mother, Rina Swentzell, is a potter, writer and scholar. Living in Santa Fe, where her father taught at St. John's College, the family visited the pueblo regularly, where they participated in ceremonials and social dances and visited relatives.
Early in her young life, Roxanne was diagnosed with a speech impediment. As a means of expression, she turned to clay and taught herself how to create coils and build bodies. Thus an artist was born. Her last two years of high school were spent at Santa Fe's prestigious Institute of American Indian Arts followed by a year at the Portland Museum Art School.
Today, living in the Santa Clara pueblo, she creates the engaging clay people that have earned her a worldwide following. Dramatizing our shared humanity, her sculptures often address social issues and the challenge of self-identity as well as the importance of place, family, community and the past.
Sought by collectors around the world, Roxanne's clay people have taken up residence in the permanent collections of museums ranging from the Heard in Phoenix to the Museum of Wellington in New Zealand. Her sculpture entitled Emergence of the Clowns was included in an exhibition of Native American sculpture at the White House. |
Samples of Work
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