• The Couse Home, Studio, and Garden from the south

    The Couse Home, Studio, and Garden from the south

  • E.I. Couse in his studio at work on San Juan Pottery, 1911. Couse first came to Taos in 1902, at the suggestion of Ernest Blumenschein.

    E.I. Couse in his studio at work on San Juan Pottery, 1911. Couse first came to Taos in 1902, at the suggestion of Ernest Blumenschein.

  • The Couse studio, virtually intact, as he left it in 1936.

    The Couse studio, virtually intact, as he left it in 1936.

  • J.H. Sharp and his wife Louise with E. I. Couse’s grandchildren, Virginia and Irving.

    J.H. Sharp and his wife Louise with E. I. Couse’s grandchildren, Virginia and Irving.

  • J.H. Sharp in his studio, 1946. Sharp was the first to come to Taos, in 1893, and eventually built this studio.

    J.H. Sharp in his studio, 1946. Sharp was the first to come to Taos, in 1893, and eventually built this studio.

  • Sharp’s 1915 Studio was restored in 2017 and hosts a permanent rotation exhibition of his work, collections, and ephemera

    Sharp’s 1915 Studio was restored in 2017 and hosts a permanent rotation exhibition of his work, collections, and ephemera

  • Kibbey Whitman Couse, the only child of E.I. Couse and his wife Virginia, was a noted inventor.

    Kibbey Whitman Couse, the only child of E.I. Couse and his wife Virginia, was a noted inventor.

  • Kibbey Couse’s machine shop on the Couse–Sharp Historic Site.

    Kibbey Couse’s machine shop on the Couse–Sharp Historic Site.

  • E.I. Couse with his grandchildren, Virginia and Irving. Virginia Couse Leavitt became a guiding force of the Couse Foundation.

    E.I. Couse with his grandchildren, Virginia and Irving. Virginia Couse Leavitt became a guiding force of the Couse Foundation.

  • The late Virginia Couse Leavitt, E.I.’s granddaughter, and her late husband, Ernest Leavitt. Visionary custodians of a unique legacy.

    The late Virginia Couse Leavitt, E.I.’s granddaughter, and her late husband, Ernest Leavitt. Visionary custodians of a unique legacy.

 

Virginia Couse Leavitt, co-founder of the Couse-Sharp Historic Site and The Couse Foundation, passed away in Taos on November 26 at the age of 92 after a brief illness. Ginnie's tireless dedication to the arts and the history of the Taos community has shaped the cultural landscape for generations to come. For more information on Ginnie and appreciations from several who knew her well, see our remembrance here.

A public memorial service will be held on the afternoon of May 16. Please see the event page for details.

 

See where the Taos Society of Artists began:
Couse-Sharp Historic Site


Our 2+ acre campus in the heart of Taos’ central historic district features the former homes and studios of E. I. Couse and J. H. Sharp, two of the American-born, European-trained artists who formed the TSA in 1915.

Visitors are astonished that such a well-preserved—and charming—complex of period buildings, gardens, furnishings, and associated art collections still exists. Engineering enthusiasts can see a 1936 laboratory and machine shop plus a Kibbey Couse-invented mobile machine shop used in World War II. Our latest addition is The Lunder Research Center, a beautiful state-of-the-art research and museum facility dedicated to the early Taos art colony and the TSA.

We invite you to peruse our website to get a feel for the amazing range of history, culture, architecture, science, and art at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site.

Our Statement of Purpose

Through its archives, collections, and programming, the Couse-Sharp Historic Site preserves and interprets Taos’ crossroads of cultures, promoting and facilitating research, education, and new perspectives on the Taos Society of Artists, early artists of Taos, and regional and Indigenous communities in relation to the greater story of the multicultural American West.

Couse-Sharp Historic Site is closed for the following holidays: New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, US Independence Day, Labor Day, San Geronimo Feast Day, Thanksgiving Day weekend, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Check here on our homepage for additional periodic closures, such as for our biennial gala and similar events.

 

News and Information

  • Currently one seasonal exhibition is on view:

Legacy in Line: The Art of Gene Kloss, open in The Lunder Research Center Tue–Sat 1–5 p.m. except major holidays.

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Upcoming Events

Memorial and celebration of life for Virginia Couse Leavitt

Memorial and celebration of life for Virginia Couse Leavitt

Friday, May 16, 2025, 1:30-5:00 p.m.
all events »