Rose B. Simpson

Cairn: bronze

Following her daughter's birth, Simpson became interested in balancing her identities as a parent and artist. She explores this sense of balance in Cairn, a child-parent figurative sculpture. By way of its construction and title, the sculpture references a cairn, a vertically-piled stone structure that marks a significant site, such as a burial spot. The successful construction of a cairn requires the delicate balancing of stones. Simpson adopts this construction method for her depiction of balancing parenthood and her devotion to art. Cairn suggests that the armless figure and small child who straddles its shoulders are co-conspirators in creating an equilibrium that keeps the sculpture intact.