Thomas Campbell - Director and Chief Executive Officer | Fine Arts Museum Of San Francisco
Thomas Campbell - Director and Chief Executive Officer | Fine Arts Museum Of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco will host the solo exhibition "Rose B. Simpson: LEXICON," honoring Pueblo art, from August 30, 2025, to August 2, 2026, at the de Young Museum. The event will spotlight Native American artist Rose B. Simpson, and the opening will coincide with the newly reinstalled Native American art galleries at the museum.
The exhibition will transform the museum’s Wilsey Court into a vibrant space, highlighting Simpson's community in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. It will feature two customized cars: a 1985 Chevrolet El Camino, painted in 2014 as a tribute to Tewa artist Maria Martinez, and a newly commissioned 1964 Buick Riviera decorated with pottery motifs. These vehicles will be complemented by a site-specific mural that captures the essence of the Southwest and evokes imagery of a pottery vessel. As Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the museums, noted, "Rose B. Simpson’s LEXICON deeply engages with the rich tradition of Pueblo pottery."
The 1964 Buick Riviera will be exhibited alongside Simpson's first custom car, showcasing polychrome pottery motifs and black-on-black designs reflective of her cultural heritage. Hillary C. Olcott, Curator of Arts of the Americas, remarked, "Rose B. Simpson: LEXICON highlights a unique side of the artist’s practice and brings a celebration of Pueblo art and culture to the central hub of the de Young museum."
The project aligns with Simpson's dream of owning classic cars reflecting New Mexico's Lowrider culture, which she pursued after her education in ceramics and automotive science. Growing up in the Española Valley, Simpson recognizes these cars as art forms that symbolize success, identity, and provide a sense of protection similar to armor.
In addition to the cars, the renovated Native American art galleries will offer fresh insights into ancestral and historic Native American items. Collaborations with Native scholars have resulted in new interpretations of the collections. The updated galleries will showcase new acquisitions and commissions by contemporary Indigenous artists.
Rose B. Simpson, born in 1983 in Santa Clara Pueblo, holds an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MA in Creative Writing. Her works are included in prestigious collections across the United States. In 2025, her solo exhibition at the de Young will further expand her contributions to contemporary art.
The exhibition is curated by Hillary C. Olcott as part of the museum's contemporary art program and presented in the de Young’s free-admission public atrium. The museum acknowledges the indigenous origins of the Bay Area, paying respect to the Ohlone peoples and other tribes of the region.
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