Connie Tsosie-Gaussoin
“I exit my thoughts through the Corn Maiden pendants that I create, to all emerging jewelers and all artists, who want to stretch their limits by bringing out their creative thoughts and to use any materials available.”
Connie Tsosie Gaussoin, of Picuris Pueblo and Navajo heritage, is the matriarch of an extraordinarily talented family of artists that includes Major Jerry E. Gaussoin Jr., David Gaussoin, Wayne Nez Gaussoin, and Tazbah Gaussoin all of whom are nationally respected for their skills as jewelers and artists. An experienced educator, Connie has won major awards for the quality of her work and is included in the collections of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, the School of American Research, the Milicent Rodgers Museum, and the San Diego Museum of Man. She comes from a family of silversmiths, painters, rug weavers, singers, sculptors, and other artists. This, along with her personal experiences, including worldwide travels, has shaped her opportunities to view and interact with people of other cultures and artistic abilities. Her family and clan heritage provide a basis for the design and development of her jewelry, creating a personal statement through her extensive body of work, as well as her current interests and inspirations.
Self-taught, starting in 1971, she has continued to expand her craft through attendance at specialized classes at the Institute of American Indian Arts and Pueblo V Design Institute. She also has maintained an interest in painting and sculpting. She has shared her expertise by teaching adult students from the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council vocational program, the Pojoaque Poeh Arts Center, children educational programs at the Wheelwright Museum, and many lectures and colloquiums throughout the country. Many of her students have advanced to become accomplished artists and award-winners. Connie has been a jewelry judge for the SWAIA Indian Market, the New Mexico State Fair; a juror for the SWAIA Fellowship Program, a judge for the Selection Committee, and a grant recipient in Business Administration from the College of Santa Fe. She has been a New Mexico State Fair Commissioner; a Regent for the Museums of NM, a Board member on the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), the 2005 SWAIA Gala Chair, a Regent for the Museums of New Mexico, the Santa Fe Opera Board and the New Mexico Film Museum Board.