STATEMENT
I am seeking to clarify the elusive, intangible moments of truth, time, and place. My work is a response to the powerful mysteries found within the earth and the physical world. I use clay to transform my emotions, concepts, and inspirations into narrative expressive forms. The basic tenants of my Osage culture and itsʼ philosophies influence and inform my ideas. Osage worldview is based on the division of the earth and sky; it represents the order, balance, and duality found in life, nature, and the universe. I use this as metaphor in my work and base numerous pieces on the premise of these beliefs. Within this context and my experiences, I find the creative impulse to construct male and female figures, landscapes, articles of clothing, and other earthen shapes. These signify a continuum of thought, knowledge and the essence of who we are as indigenous human beings living in a modern, chaotic, and challenging world. In works reflecting land and nature, I am interested in creating symbolic representations of the spiritual and cultural memory found throughout the terrain of our original homelands and sacred places.
On small bits of torn clay, I create repetitive textures by impressing objects that are meaningful to me. The fragments are layered onto sculpted clay forms, creating depth, design, and dimension. The objects used for impressions are varied and can be as simple as twigs, a favorite pair of earrings, ribbon work patterns from our traditional clothing, or imprints from a beaded purse. I incorporate photo-image transferred textiles and paper collage to further the visual vocabulary for my personal aesthetic and cultural ideologies.
My creative endeavors and observations are how I acknowledge what I know to be true. It is the language I employ to define my place within the world.
THE ARTIST
Born in Hominy, Oklahoma, Osage artist Anita Fields exhibits her work nationally and internationally. Fieldʼs sculptures were exhibited in “Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation, Part Two” in New York City, and “Shared Passion” at Arizona State University, Arizona. Her work was featured in “Two by Two” and the 8th Native American Fine Art Invitational at the Heard Museum, Arizona. Her work was included in “Who Stole the Teepee?” National Museum of the American Indian, at the Smithsonian Institution, New York. Her works were displayed among the “Avant Garde” during “Legacy of the Generations: Pottery by American Indian Women” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
In 2008, Fields was one of the three artists selected to participate in the Eitelljorg Museumʼs thirty-day artist-inresidence RARE program. Fields was one of forty-seven Native American delegates, funded by the Kellogg Foundation and the Institute Of American Indian Arts, to travel to South Africa during 2007, for “The Answers Lie Within”; a cultural and economic exchange between indigenous artists and educators. She was a recipient of the Andy Warhol Fine Arts Residency Program at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.
Fieldsʼ work has been published in Southwest Art magazine, American Craft, Ms Magazine, American Style and Native Peoples. Her work can be found in several museum collections, including the Museum of Art and Design, New York, Museum Of Contemporary Arts, New Mexico, the Heard Museum, Arizona, and the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. D.C.
I am seeking to clarify the elusive, intangible moments of truth, time, and place. My work is a response to the powerful mysteries found within the earth and the physical world. I use clay to transform my emotions, concepts, and inspirations into narrative expressive forms. The basic tenants of my Osage culture and itsʼ philosophies influence and inform my ideas. Osage worldview is based on the division of the earth and sky; it represents the order, balance, and duality found in life, nature, and the universe. I use this as metaphor in my work and base numerous pieces on the premise of these beliefs. Within this context and my experiences, I find the creative impulse to construct male and female figures, landscapes, articles of clothing, and other earthen shapes. These signify a continuum of thought, knowledge and the essence of who we are as indigenous human beings living in a modern, chaotic, and challenging world. In works reflecting land and nature, I am interested in creating symbolic representations of the spiritual and cultural memory found throughout the terrain of our original homelands and sacred places.
On small bits of torn clay, I create repetitive textures by impressing objects that are meaningful to me. The fragments are layered onto sculpted clay forms, creating depth, design, and dimension. The objects used for impressions are varied and can be as simple as twigs, a favorite pair of earrings, ribbon work patterns from our traditional clothing, or imprints from a beaded purse. I incorporate photo-image transferred textiles and paper collage to further the visual vocabulary for my personal aesthetic and cultural ideologies.
My creative endeavors and observations are how I acknowledge what I know to be true. It is the language I employ to define my place within the world.
THE ARTIST
Born in Hominy, Oklahoma, Osage artist Anita Fields exhibits her work nationally and internationally. Fieldʼs sculptures were exhibited in “Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation, Part Two” in New York City, and “Shared Passion” at Arizona State University, Arizona. Her work was featured in “Two by Two” and the 8th Native American Fine Art Invitational at the Heard Museum, Arizona. Her work was included in “Who Stole the Teepee?” National Museum of the American Indian, at the Smithsonian Institution, New York. Her works were displayed among the “Avant Garde” during “Legacy of the Generations: Pottery by American Indian Women” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
In 2008, Fields was one of the three artists selected to participate in the Eitelljorg Museumʼs thirty-day artist-inresidence RARE program. Fields was one of forty-seven Native American delegates, funded by the Kellogg Foundation and the Institute Of American Indian Arts, to travel to South Africa during 2007, for “The Answers Lie Within”; a cultural and economic exchange between indigenous artists and educators. She was a recipient of the Andy Warhol Fine Arts Residency Program at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.
Fieldsʼ work has been published in Southwest Art magazine, American Craft, Ms Magazine, American Style and Native Peoples. Her work can be found in several museum collections, including the Museum of Art and Design, New York, Museum Of Contemporary Arts, New Mexico, the Heard Museum, Arizona, and the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. D.C.