BLANCA NIEVES

Bronze

February, 2024

How do we survive life’s darkest moments? Some of our earliest answers to this question come from fairy tales. When life gives us cruelty, abandonment, and even immediate threats to our safety, fairy tales tell us that what we need to survive are wits, resourcefulness, and just a little bit of courage. 

This sculpture shows the moment that a hero discovers her courage. Here, the Grimm Brothers fairy tale character Snow White has just escaped the huntsman, who has decided not to follow her evil stepmother’s orders to end her life, but still leaves her alone in woods filled with threatening beasts. Just when it seems like she should not survive, Snow White tames her predators and conjures up her own peace.

Walking around this sculpture, viewers can see graceful butterflies and rabbits finding refuge in Snow White’s presence. They dance on her drapery and keep her company, but there is also a cunning fox lurking below. While this animal may pose a threat, if viewers make their way all the way around the sculpture they will find a surprise. Snow White has managed to tame this fox with a caring caress of her hand. 

Fairy tales like Snow White give readers the tools they need to survive and, according to scholars like Harvard professor of Folklore Maria Tartar, what is often modeled is an instinct for compassion and collaboration.

This sculpture captures the moment when Snow White finds her own power to control her situation, no matter how grim. 
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