''Always Becoming'' is an artwork created in 2007 by
Nora Naranjo-Morse
Nora Naranjo Morse (born 1953) is a Native American artist and poet. She currently resides in Española, New Mexico just north of Santa Fe and is a member of the Santa Clara Pueblo. Her work can be found in several museum collections including t ...
, a
Native American potter
A potter is someone who makes pottery.
Potter may also refer to:
Places United States
*Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US
* Potter, Arkansas
*Potter, Nebraska
* Potters, New Je ...
and
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
. The artwork groups five sculptures made with natural materials, which allows them to gradually change over time. The
National Museum of the American Indian selected and commissioned the artwork to be exhibited by one of its entrances in 2006.
Description
The sculpture consists of five separate sculptures, that make up a family.
Grounded in figures from
Santa Clara Pueblo oral tradition the sculptures are named:
* Father
* Mother
* Little one
* Moon Woman
* Mountain Bird
The sculptures were built in-situ over the summer of 2007. Nora Naranjo-Morse worked with her niece, Athena Swentzell Steen, and her husband, Bill Steen, natural material sculptors, and the family of Don Juan Morales (
Tepehuan) from the Mexican state of
Durango
Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...
, as well as many volunteers including museum staff and visitors.
Materials
The sculptures are made entirely of natural materials, including dirt, sand, straw, clay, stone, black locust wood, bamboo, grass, and yam vines. These natural materials were selected to take on a life of their own, allowing the sculptures to change over time. In this way the materials ensure the forms are 'always becoming'.
Dimensions
The five sculptures range in size from 7 feet 6 inches tall (~2.29 meters) to 16 feet (~4.84 meters) tall.
History and Location
On May 24, 2006, the
National Museum of the American Indian announced that Naranjo-Morse had won its outdoor sculpture design competition. "Always Becoming" was selected unanimously from more than 55 entries submitted by Native artists from throughout the
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term We ...
.
During the summer of 2007, on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian,
Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
, Naranjo-Morse built a family of clay sculptures. The commissioned work is located on the 'Native landscape' at the museum's south entrance on Maryland Avenue S.W. near 4th Street and Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. The opening of these public works took place on September 1, 2007.
The sculptures are intended to disintegrate over time. The lives of the sculptures, from creation until they have decayed, are being documented by filmmaker Dax Thomas (
Laguna
Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to:
People
* Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay
* Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist
* Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet d ...
/
Acoma Acoma may refer to:
* ''Acoma'' (beetle), a scarab beetle genus of subfamily Melolonthinae
* Acoma Pueblo, a Native American pueblo
* Acoma, Nevada, a ghost town
* Acoma Township, McLeod County, Minnesota, US
* , more than one ship of the US Navy
...
). As the sculptures disintegrate, the films of their lives will form a more permanent record of their existence and are therefore an essential part of the artistic process and the work itself.
See also
*
List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
This is a list of public art in Ward 2 of Washington, D.C..
This list applies only to works of public art accessible in an outdoor public space. For example, this does not include artwork visible inside a museum.
Most of the works mentioned ...
*
Sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
References
External links
''Always Becoming'' Official Websiteat the
National Museum of the American Indian''Always Becoming'' blogNMAI Announcement of ''Always Becoming'' as the winner of the Outdoor sculpture Design Competitionindianz.com Announcement of the NMAI’s outdoor Sculpture Design Competition Winner*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080719195227/http://www.nativenetworks.si.edu/ENG/rose/naranjo_morse_n.htm Nora Naranjo-Morse entry on Native NetworksTanasi JournalVoice of America News: "Five New Sculptures Welcome Visitors to American Indian Museum"Follow.xt.pl: Blog entries about the videos by Dax Thomas*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080927122739/http://www.swaia.org/board.php Southwestern Association for Indian Arts: Board of Directors ‘Nora Naranjo-Morse’ Biography''Smithsonian Magazine'' Article: Sculpting Her Vision. By Nicole Wroten 'Smithsonian.com' October 31, 2007Friday, February 8, 2008 ''Always Becoming'' – Story and photos (except where noted) by Bill Steen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Always Becoming
American contemporary art
Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C.
2007 sculptures
Sculptures of the Smithsonian Institution
Contemporary works of art
Digital art
Native Americans in Washington, D.C.
Pueblo art
Preservation (library and archival science)
Southwest Federal Center
National Museum of the American Indian