03-05-2025
Studios of Taos Society of Artists painters could become a National Historic Landmark
May 2—The studios of two Taos artists could be recognized as a National Historic Landmark.
Painters Eanger Irving Couse and Joseph Henry Sharp were best known for their portrayals of Native Americans. The two men were founding members of the Taos Society of Artists in 1915, an art colony that played a role in making Taos an iconic art destination. Their studios and Couse's home in Taos have been maintained as the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, a 2-acre property in the village's central district.
"At the end of the day, the humanities impact of these artists is that they helped change Americans' perceptions of Native America and influenced federal Indian policy as advocates of Native rights and sovereignty," said Davison Koenig, the historic site's executive director.
The United States has more than 2,600 National Historic Landmarks, which are meant to represent outstanding aspects of American history and culture, according to the National Park Service. The National Historic Landmarks Committee is set to make a decision about the Taos property's designation on May 22.
The designation could help the historic property with fundraising efforts to support its preservation and its recently opened Lunder Research Center, which is focused on the early Taos art colony and Taos Society of Artists.
"The strength of the site is the ability to tell a very complex story of New Mexico history and its place within the larger framework of both nation building and our national identity," Koenig said.
The site also plays a role in the history of Taos Pueblo. Pueblo members were often models for the artists' paintings. The site offers insights into the relationship between the Taos Society of Artists and the pueblo, according to Ilona Spruce, marketing and tourism director at Taos Pueblo.
"Everyone had their own experience, and those experiences have to be acknowledged, whether they were positive or negative. But one thing that did come to light with the research and the review of the photos that were accounted for from Couse, was that there was definitely a relationship built between the Couse family and Ben Lujan's family, and it was pretty reciprocal," Spruce said. Lujan was a Taos Pueblo member who was frequently portrayed in early 20th-century art and advertisements.
Much of the Pueblo's history is recorded via oral history and the Couse-Sharp site offers additional documentation of the pueblo's history, Spruce said, especially during the time when Taos Pueblo lost ownership of Blue Lake from 1906 to 1970.
"We're not really teaching the deep history of New Mexico and the national import of New Mexico's history, and we're certainly not teaching the history of Taos on any meaningful level," Koenig said.
An NHL designation could give the historic site's staff a renewed vigor for sharing New Mexico history, he said.
