Artist Jeffrey Gibson's monumental commission for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Animal That Therefore I Am, serves as a powerful intervention into the history of American bronze sculpture, consciously challenging the traditional representations of "Americana" and the "frontier of the West". Drawing inspiration from Jacques Derrida's lectures, the title reverses the conventional relationship between humanity and the animal kingdom, serving as a mandate to consider the lessons that can be learned from other living beings and to confront the cultural dissociation that leads to a lack of empathy and violence. Gibson, who has resided in New York since 1999 and moved upstate in 2012, roots his work in a profound understanding of Native history. He states that events occurring hundreds or thousands of years ago are still profoundly present and impact the decisions he makes today, placing his practice directly in the lineage of ancient makers. He feels a particular draw to the Met’s sculpture of the Americas, specifically the Mississippian clay works from which his tribe, the Mississippi Choctaw, emerged.
Gibson argues that ancient makers should be granted the integrity of having made conscious choices regarding facial features, tattoos, and piercings, and he seeks to highlight how Native cultures have influenced one another through shared imagery and material processes.
The concept of hybridity is central to Gibson's artistic voice, reflecting his own identity as a Native American, a queer person, a parent, and someone who has lived in numerous cultures; for him, the "hybrid notion of identity is the only way" he knows how to exist, a reality reflected directly in the commissioned works. The sculptures evolved from earlier urban animal concepts (a squirrel and a pigeon in 2013) to wildlife Gibson now observes upstate, including the Hawk, Coyote, and Deer. The artist's studio operates as a collaboration of about 18 people, broken into two halves: painting, and handwork, which includes textiles, quilting, and beading. While based in traditional Native American techniques, the team formalized a specific "lexicon of handwork" to ensure that the vital "feeling of the hand" would translate successfully into the permanence of bronze. The initial forms were constructed using unconventional materials: blue foam underneath, rawhide wrapped around (a material that dries very hard, often found in drums), and driftwood pulled from the banks of the Hudson River. Oil-based clay was used to sculpt the remaining form.
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The detailed adornment on the sculptures was designed to unify the four animals while also reading distinctly, such as the vintage handmade quilts placed on the Deer. This treatment was inspired by Native American dances and regalia that mimic animal movements, making the final works appear "somewhere between" a human in a costume and the actual transforming animal. The material choices consciously incorporate the life cycles of other beings, serving as a reminder that "there's also other bodies in here". For instance, the leather used is the body of another animal, and the claws are made of dentalium, the shell of a sea creature.
The technical process of transformation took place at UAP in Newburgh, New York. The process began by scanning 60% scale maquettes to create 3D files, allowing Gibson's team to digitally sculpt and make minor reworks. Crucially, during the printing and subsequent shelling process, great care was taken to ensure that the handmade, irregular beads did not feel "completely replicated," preserving subtle variations. After the pouring of the bronze and reassembly, the final step was the patina. Gibson oversaw this process, requesting the inclusion of reddish-brown highlights to continue emphasizing the sense of the hand in the metal. The finished sculptures successfully convey a "broad spectrum of materiality"—including fur, wood, rawhide, beads, feathers, berries, and acorns—making the metal feel as if the original materials had different weights and movements.
Gibson notes that the completed works are large, intimidating, and possess an intense presence, exceeding his initial expectation that they would be more playful. They will not "shrink on the facade". Each animal holds a specific meaning: the Deer symbolizes a new beginning, inspired by a surreal sighting of an all-white deer. The Coyote leans out of its niche, its head transformed into a coyote hide cloak, maintaining a "furriness of the cloak" and the "gravity movement of the paw" simultaneously. The Hawk offers a regal face and an intense, outward stare, lending it a sense of worldliness rather than intimacy. The Squirrel wears a massive crown of acorns, elevating the ten-foot-tall creature to the status of a prince. Gibson views the public setting as a momentous opportunity to discuss culturally significant omissions in the history of bronze sculpture and alternative ways of viewing the world. His ultimate hope is that the sculptures, which look like superheroes from a distance, will draw people in, allowing details to unfold and creating a space where "it's okay to ask questions" and "it's okay to misunderstand".
