Rose B. Simpson: Transformance 

Production | Exhibition Grant

In conjunction with her solo exhibition at the Nevada Art Museum, Rose B. Simpson presented a “transformance”—a performance that triggers internal transformations in public space. The performance took the form of a processional featuring seven women and gender queer people of Southern Peyote affiliation walking through the streets of Las Vegas, NV. The solemn procession moved alongside one of Simpson’s custom refurbished cars during a performance that celebrated intergenerational ties and indigenous visibility. In the weeks preceding the performance, performers participated in a series of workshops led by the artist, in which they crafted protective regalia by hand using pieces of wood, leather, and metal. Simpson developed the ultimate transformance through collaborative work with her performers and invited their tribal communities to attend. Conceived in counterpoint to the 2021 Art + Environment Conference hosted concurrently at the museum, the project used physical presence to bring awareness to the suppressed ecological and cultural histories of Las Vegas, Nevada.