The Gaussoin residence is not what you might expect.
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The walls are privy to a vast collection of traditional Native American art; the house itself clings to its '70s-era décor and modesty like lint to shag. The unsuspecting eye might write it off as the typical Southwestern residence.
But this house has a surprise. The family's one-car garage holds no vehicle; instead, it's the compact and busy workshop of David, Wayne and Connie Tsosie Gaussoin. The family of jewelers lovingly calls the space their "sweatshop," the place where they'll spend all hours of the night pouring their creative juices into developing some of the most boundary-busting, cutting-edge earrings and bracelets on the Native American art scene today. David, 30, and Wayne, 22, are the silver-slinging sons of Connie Tsosie, a master crafter of concho belts and other traditional delicacies. "We grew up watching my mom," says David.
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"We were raised making traditional Native American jewelry." The two spent their childhood in Santa Fe, making frequent visits to their ancestral home-Picuris Pueblo-and learning the craft as it has been taught for years.
And then something happened. In 1999, David took a trip to Europe, where he became enamored not only of outré Euro style, but of a broadened perspective on craft traditions and indigenous practices around the world. He began to wonder why he was restricting himself.
So he let loose, and Wayne followed suit. At times, their work becomes so outrageous that it abandons all constraints of functionality, passing into the realm of the purely radical. In their pursuit of stretching the limits, their art has passed from the realm of useful belts and basic silver bracelets to one where large dangly earrings hold iridescent glass balls more fragile than your untouched china.
The Native American art community has embraced the Gaussoin's contemporary work with trepidation. The materials are non-traditional, the inspiration is purely now; the work is anything but the same old thing. Which is exactly what David and Wayne don't want it to be.
"The progressive and cutting-edge is something that hasn't been seen before," says David. "As Native Americans, the whole community really needs to realize that we're serious about this. We're not just crafters."
The Gaussoins value their heritage intensely, however, and that goes beyond attending Pueblo ceremonies and collecting traditional baskets and rugs-it means keeping those traditions in active dialogue with other forms of culture.
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They are the key organizers of the Pueblo Opera Program, which gives children from various pueblos around New Mexico the opportunity to soak up some Mozart and sample some Golijov. Likewise, using their own artwork to bring the Native art scene into bold new territory is a way to extend puebloan roots and cultural relevancy beyond the confines of the Southwest. "You can only get away with wearing a concho belt here on the Plaza," says David.
Not to say that there's anything wrong with concho belts-the Gaussoin family has produced quite a few intricate examples of the Southwestern staple-but that kind of work, rather than pushing any limits, is only defining boundaries.
"Outside collectors are expecting 'cute little Indians,'" explains Wayne. But this family isn't about to be boxed up so easily. The Gaussoin sweatshop is ripe with headier expectations.
