The title Elements of Being derives from an Osage prayer, which ends with an instruction to “take care of the elements of being.” Anita Fields explores this phrase, drawing on centuries of Osage tradition to inform her visual and material decisions.

Here, Fields painted three monumental female figures on earthenware slabs. Below them are bundled offerings, referencing the Osage tradition of giving fabric-wrapped gifts to honor recipients. White dots appear on the bundles and figures, drawing connections between the material world, the living, and across generations.