Untitled (Sio Hemis Katsina)
Maker and role
Artist: Agnes Sims, American, 1910-1990
Year
1970s
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Object detail
Media/Materials
Terra cotta with paint
Credit line
Gift of Jane Stieren Lacy
Accession number
2009.13
Object type
Department
Location
Further information
A Sio Hemis katsina, Agnes Sims' sculpture represents a dancer holding a rattle and a cermonial wand, embodying an important rain spirit during the Niman (home) ceremony in late July in Pueblo villages. With intricate stylized details such as clouds, raindrops, rainbow bands, and blossoms, the figure suggests the connection between human and agricultural fertility.
Trained as an artist in Philadelphia, Sims moved to New Mexico in her late 20s. There she developed a fascination with the culture and art forms of Southwestern Native Amercians. Her works allude to their rtiuals and beliefs, combining these with contemporary elements and more permanent media, like the terra cotta on this work.
Trained as an artist in Philadelphia, Sims moved to New Mexico in her late 20s. There she developed a fascination with the culture and art forms of Southwestern Native Amercians. Her works allude to their rtiuals and beliefs, combining these with contemporary elements and more permanent media, like the terra cotta on this work.
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