Roxanne Swentzell (born December 9, 1962) is a Santa Clara Tewa Native American sculptor, ceramic artist, Indigenous food activist, and gallerist.

[1] Swentzell's work addresses personal and social commentary, reflecting respect for family, cultural heritage, and for the Earth.

[5] Swentzel is descended from a long line of Santa Clara Pueblo potters from whom she learned customary methods of pottery making.

Her speech impediment made it difficult for her to communicate, so scraps of clay left over from her mother's pottery projects allowed her to create small figurative sculptures to convey her emotions.

Swentzell believes in lifelong learning and has said, "Everyday is an amazing new book, a test in every discipline, a chance to advance myself, and great times on the playground.

Her son, Dr. Porter Swentzell, is a professor and associate dean at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA).

[3] Her daughter Rose Bean Simpson is also a ceramic sculptor, who earned her MFA degree from Rhode Island School of Design; she has exhibited her work widely.

Swentzell's relationship with nature led her to design and plant trees and gardens at her home in the high-desert of Santa Clara Pueblo.

[9] In 1987, Swentzell co-founded the Santa Clara Pueblo-based nonprofit organization Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute, where she serves as president.

[11] Her work at the institute is based on her own personal philosophy informed by Native American ancestors who serve as role models for protectors of Earth who preserve Indigenous knowledge of conservation.

They predominantly take the form of female figures and focus on issues such as gender roles, identity, politics, family, and the past.

[16] The figure struggles to fit into society's preconceived image for her, hiding behind the mask of an unobtainable picture, both in color and shape.

[14] Swentzell's permanent public art installation, For Life in All Directions (2004) was commissioned by the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian Institution), in Washington DC.

[17] The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology purchased the sculpture, Nestled Lives, from Swentzell in 2000 for display in the Native American Voices Gallery, curated by Dr. Lucy Fowler Williams.

[4] The sculpture is made from clay and depicts a seated woman with outstretched arms holding three nested vessels in her stomach.