La Luz de Taos, the Couse-Sharp Historic Site’s biennial gala and art show, returns to Northern New Mexico on April 12 in Taos, New Mexico. The show, featuring around 45 works from as many artists, will be unveiled at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, which is one of the great art destinations of the Southwest. The site contains the former home and studio of Eanger Irving Couse and two studios used by Joseph Henry Sharp, as well as the recently completed Lunder Research Center, which houses a growing archive of material related to Taos artists.
Jody Folwell (Santa Clara Pueblo) and Susan Folwell (Santa Clara Pueblo), Large Jar with Asymmetric Rim and Mosquito Man Design, hand-coiled clay, 13 x 9½”
“We’re feeling really great right now as we prepare for the show. We’re just seeing some killer material come in from our artists. I’m very excited,” says Couse-Sharp’s executive director and curator Davison Packard Koenig. “The thing we’re really thrilled to talk about this year is the diversity of the artists. We have some of the top artists working today, which includes 11 Native artists and seven Hispano artists. It’s a healthy mix that represents the Southwest really well. And not only do we have a greater representation among the artists, but also the media as well since we have wood carvers, potters, sculpture artists, glass artists and more.”
Autumn Borts-Medlock (Santa Clara Pueblo), Pueblo Cloud Parrot, hand-coiled clay, 6¼ x 7½ x 4¾”
Koenig points out that this diverse array of artists and materials calls back to Taos’ rich history as a center of trade in the Southwest long before New Mexico, the Southwest and even the United States. “Some of these artistic traditions go back a millennia,” he adds.
Participating artists include Tony Abeyta, Autumn Borts-Medlock, Nocona Burgess, Jody and Susan Folwell, Ira Lujan, Ben Pease, Kevin Red Star, Yellowbird Samora and many others.
Kevin Red Star (Crow), Two Horse Tipis, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24”
The exhibition opens April 12, but collectors may want to time their visit with the gala and art show that will take place on June 14 and 15. During the gala weekend, much of the exhibition will move to nearby El Monte Sagrado Resort, which will host the festive party and by-draw sale. All of the proceeds from the event benefit the Couse-Sharp Historic Site and the Lunder Research Center, which contains a vast trove of information and objects related to the Taos Society of Artists, an organization co-founded by Couse and Sharp.
Nocona Burgess (Comanche), Jicarilla Future, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30”
Once the exhibition opens in April, all of the art will be viewable online. In addition to in-person bidding during the June sale, absentee bidding will also be offered for collectors who can’t attend in person.
April 12-June 15, 2024
La Luz de Taos
Couse-Sharp Historic Site, 138 and 146 Kit Carson Road, Taos, NM 87571
(575) 751-0369, www.couse-sharp.org
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