Starting in September, we will be hosting a series of trunk shows in the Mary Cabot Wheelwright Library, showcasing the work of top Native American designers and jewelers.

September 20, 2009 3-5 p.m.
Penny Singer/Jennifer Curtis

October 25, 2009 3-5 p.m.
Pilar Agoyo/Cody Sanderson

December 20, 2009 3-5 p.m.
Patricia Michaels/Connie, David, and Wayne Nez Gaussoin

January 31, 2010 3-5 p.m.
Teri Greeves/Keri Ataumbi

February 28, 2010 3-5 p.m.
Fashion Week Blowout with Select Artists

Free admission.

Left: Design by Patricia Michaels. Photo by Jennifer Esperanza.

Penny Singer/Jennifer Curtis

At 39, Penny Singer is still going strong, creating new designs for her own line of wearable art from her Albuquerque studio. "I love to sew and create new fresh looks in Native fashion. The fabric is an open canvas, the thread is my color palette, and the sewing machine is my brush."

She learned the fundamentals of sewing from her mother who sewed alot when she was growing up. "I would make pillow cases, clothes for dolls and accessories. I learned by watching her make traditional Navajo clothes for my grandmother."

A sought-after star at premier venues across the United States, her original PenSin™ line of clothing has amassed a long list of top awards and accolades at the Santa Fe Indian Market, Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market, Eiteljorg Museum Indian Art Market, and scores of others. 

Jennifer Curtis is a sixth generation Navajo silversmith from White Cone, AZ. She has been creating hand-fabricated silver and gold jewelry for over twenty years. Jennifer is the daughter of Thomas and Violet Curtis. Mentored by her famous father, she has established her own unique style while remaining true to the high standards of her teacher.

Like her father, Jennifer is noted for her precise, meticulous stampwork that combines traditional and contemporary motifs. Her grandmother, a noted weaver, influenced her sense of design, as did the clouds and canyons of her native landscape.

Top Left: Design by Penny Singer.

Bottom Left: Silver pendant by Jennifer Curtis.

Pilar Agoyo/Cody Sanderson

The clothing and accessories that Pilar Agoyo continues to produce are still being labeled cutting edge, goth, punk, chic, elegant, and risqué. Whatever they become, be it traditional, fashionable, or even functional, her garments are distinctive.  She continues to work in a wide array of textiles, but her reputation for integrating anything from placemats to trading cars, clothes hangers, newspapers, and even masking tape, will continue to be unrivaled. Pilar resides in Santa Fe, with her family and endless amounts of inspiration.

Cody Sanderson was raised in Window Rock, Arizona and is of Dine descent. His primary medium is sterling silver and 18-karat gold. He also enjoys working in aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and 14-karat gold. Achieving a final project can involve bending, casting, forging, fusing, repousse, rolling, or stamping. His most recent achievements have become highlighted due to a series of private collectors and selected galleries whom have purchased and sold his works.
Future plans are to continue to bring about unique and unusual pieces that twist, turn, open, close, or keep the eyes and imagination dancing.

Top Left: Dragonfly Tote by Pilar Agoyo.

Bottom Left: Star cuff bracelet by Cody Sanderson.

Patricia Michaels/The Gaussoin Family

Widely traveled, well-educated, and inexhaustibly creative, Patricia Michaels is a traditional Native American woman who is a style-maker at the forefront of modern fashion design and aesthetics. She creates boldy hip designs with a quality of timeless elegance by blending her heritage with the inspiration she draws from the ever-changing world around her.

Patricia lives and works in Taos, New Mexico, where, in her studio, she produces custom-tailored, avant-garde fashions, high-end limited-edition apparel, and ready-to-wear lines for men and women, as well as surface designs, including fabrics for interiors.

Connie Tsosie Gaussoin, of Navajo and Picuris Pueblo heritage, spent her early childhood summers living on the Navajo reservation with her father Carl Tsosie’s family. Connie’s family is comprised of numerous artists, past and present, which include: rug weavers, singers, sculptors, painters, textiles, potters, and carpenters; most notably is the late R.C. Gorman, an international renowned painter. At age 16, Connie joined “Up With People,” an international singing group. She performed extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Panama, experiencing the rich customs and art of these various places.  

Like Connie, son David has traveled quite extensively to broaden his perspective on the arts, traditions, cultures, and practices around the world. David was initially taught by his mother and has also taken specialized classes to expand his knowledge and expertise in creating cutting-edge and progressive jewelry. Embracing the studio slogan, “A family tradition of innovative jewelry,” David, Connie, and Wayne Nez have collaborated with numerous fashion designers for Haute Couture fashion shows, allowing the family to fully expand their jewelry to even greater heights.

Top Left: Design by Patricia Michaels.

Bottom Left: Jewelry by the Gaussoin Family.

Teri Greeves/Keri Ataumbi

Teri Greeves employs a variety of beadwork techniques in her art. Her larger pictorial work involves beads stitched onto brain-tanned deerhide, which she often mounts onto wood or other structures. She strives to simultaneously portray Kiowa realities and oral history with her contemporary experiences. Her beadwork and dedication to furthering Native American art has earned Greeves innumerable awards and honors. Greeves won Best of Show at the 1999 Indian Market and has since won many other awards at the Heard Museum, Indian Market, and Eight Northern Pueblos Arts and Crafts Show.

Keri Ataumbi's ‘wearable art’ has a conceptual narrative exploration at its core. This enquiry happens through the use of imagery and materials to create a small sculpture complete upon its own, as well as worn on the body. Informed by current visual culture, the history and theory of modern art, and her personal aesthetic, Keri's goal is to create work that strives to embrace contemporary jewelry- making strategies by applying artistic methodologies that are different from traditional design processes.

Top Left: Beaded clutch by Teri Greeves.

Bottom Left: Bubble cuff bracelet by Keri Ataumbi.

Fashion Week Blowout!

Join us in February as we celebrate fashion week.

Featured work by renowned artists from the Case Trading Post will be on display in the Mary Cabot Wheelwright Library.

Select items will be auctioned off. Proceeds to benefit the Wheelwright Museum.

Left: Designs by the Gaussoin Family.