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Connie Gaussoin

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Connie Tsosie Gaussoin (born 1948) is a Diné Navajo and Picuris Pueblo artist, jeweler and educator. She is the matriarch of the Gaussoin family of Native Indian artists.

Connie Tsosie Gaussoin
Born
Connie Tsosie

1948
OccupationSilversmith
Years active1969–present
Known forNative American jewelry artist
StyleTufa-cast silver
SpouseJerry Gaussoin Sr.
Children4
Parent(s)Carl and Lydia Duran Tsosie
RelativesR. C. Gorman, cousin
Ramos Duran (War Chief, former governor of Picuris Pueblo), grandfather
Websitewww.tsosie-gaussoin.com

Background

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Connie Tsosie was born into a prominent family of artists, including silversmiths, painters, weavers, and sculptors in 1948.[1] She was one of seven children. Her father Carl Tsosie came from the Navajo reservation in Salina Springs, Arizona.[2] He was well known in their community as a veteran of WWII, where he took part in the invasion of Normandy and earned a Purple Heart.[3] Her mother Lydia Duran was the daughter of the Chief of Picuris Pueblo in Northern New Mexico and was a skilled potter.[4][5] Connie was raised in Santa Fe, where her father taught woodworking and art at his alma mater, the Santa Fe Indian School.[3]

As a teen, she toured the globe performing with Up with People, and took her high school courses via correspondence.[6] She later went to Navajo Community College in Many Farms, Arizona and then to the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.[7]

Silversmith and jewelry artist

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Navajo silversmithing was historically practiced by men. By taking up the art, Connie Tsosie Gaussoin became a pioneer for tribal women jewelry artists.

Tsosie Gaussoin first learned the art of silversmithing and jewelry making as a child from her father and uncle.[8] She would assist her father and uncle by gathering tufa for casting metalwork. She began selling her work at the Santa Fe Indian Market in 1969.[9] Gaussoin became known for her tufa-cast silverwork, which was unusual for women to practice at the time.[7]

As a jewelry artist, her work is informed by both Navajo and Pueblo tribal traditions combined with a modern and global aesthetic, with rich textures.[1][10][11] She is inspired by Navajo weaving designs, as her aunts were rug weavers, but also takes inspiration from traditional Puebloan motifs.[6]

Gaussoin also works as an educator in teaching her artistic techniques. She has taught art and jewelry design at the Eight Northern Indian Pueblo Council Vocation Program, the Poeh Arts Center, and the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe.[1]

Awards

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In 2005, Gaussoin was recognized with the City of Santa Fe's Mayor Award for Arts Education and later was recognized by The Santa Fe New Mexican as one of “10 Who Make a Difference.”[1] In 2006, Gaussoin received the Rollin and Mary Ella King Native Artist Fellowship from The Indian Arts Research Center at the School for Advanced Research.[1][12] In 2008, she was named a Living Treasure by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe.[13]

Personal life and legacy

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Connie Tsosie married Jerry Gaussoin and together the couple share four children. Tsosie Gaussoin passed her knowledge and expertise in jewelry-making to sons Jerry Jr.,[14] David,[4] Wayne Nez,[15] and daughter Tazbah Gaussoin[16] who have all gone on to become artists.[17] Today, her descendants are prominent Native American jewelry and lapidary artists in their own right.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Connie Tsosie Gaussoin – Artists – Indian Arts Research Center". emuseum.sarsf.org. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  2. ^ "Carl Tsosie | Veterans Legacy Grant Program". sites.sfcc.edu. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  3. ^ a b Pacheco, Ana (2013). Legendary Locals of Santa Fe. Arcadia Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-4671-0047-2.
  4. ^ a b "David Gaussoin (micaceous jar) | Grounded in Clay". Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  5. ^ "Interview with Ramos Duran (War Chief, former governor – 1963) | Archive of Native American Recorded History". www.nativeoralhistory.org. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  6. ^ a b Harjo, Barbara; Thunder, Julie Pearson Little (1998). Artistic Tastes: Favorite Recipes of Native American Artists. Kiva Publishing. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-1-885772-08-4.
  7. ^ a b Pardue, Diana F. (2007). Contemporary Southwestern Jewelry. Gibbs Smith. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-4236-0190-6.
  8. ^ Mannarino, Melanie (2021-11-23). "Diversity and connection in Native American jewelry". Ideas. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  9. ^ "The Gaussoin Family Reflect on Native Art Week". First American Art Magazine. 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  10. ^ Museum, Heard; Loscher, Tricia (2007). Old Traditions in New Pots: Silver Seed Pots from the Norman L. Sandfield Collection. Heard Museum. ISBN 978-0-934351-79-9.
  11. ^ Hookschooks, Cody (2017-10-14). "Never feel intimidated". The Taos News. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  12. ^ a b "Connie, David, and Wayne Gaussoin | School for Advanced Research". Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  13. ^ "Native Treasures Living Treasure | Museum of Indian Arts & Culture | Santa Fe, New Mexico". indianartsandculture.org. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  14. ^ "About Me". Jerry Gaussoin Jewelry. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  15. ^ Conaway, Janelle (2023-10-27). "From the Sea and Desert to Silver Creations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  16. ^ Lawe, Nicole (2024-01-23). "Alumni Spotlight—Tazbah Gaussoin (Picuris Pueblo and Diné) '15". Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  17. ^ "Gaussoin Family Jewelry 39.5 Article". Ornament Magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
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