• 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.

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

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

Two visionary painters, whose art captured the Southwest.

Explore the studios of E. I. Couse and J. H. Sharp, founding members of the Taos Society of Artists. These two painters helped create the cultural fabric of Taos and the West as we know it today.
Visit the Couse home and see how these pioneer painters lived. Stand at Couse’s easel, see the model’s stage and props. All remains as it was 100 years ago.  Witness this unbroken chain of history as it is preserved into the future, with the restoration of Sharp’s 1915 studio and the building of a new archive and research center. Explore the artists' work on the Couse Portfolio and Sharp Portfolio pages.

Read our Spring 2018 NOTES & NEWS e-newsletter

The Couse Foundation is pleased and honored to report that The Lunder Foundation of Portland, Maine, is providing a grant of $600,000 in support of the Taos Society of Artists archive and research center that will be located in the Mission Gallery building being acquired by The Couse Foundation later this year. To learn more about this grant, the planned research center, and much more, see NOTES & NEWS.

Taos: Cultural Crossroads of the West

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Upcoming Events

Lecture by Virginia Couse Leavitt: In My Grandfather's Footsteps

Lecture by Virginia Couse Leavitt: In My Grandfather's Footsteps

Saturday, July 7, 2018, 10am
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First Saturday Open House | Artist Demonstration with Ira Lujan

First Saturday Open House | Artist Demonstration with Ira Lujan

Saturday, July 7, 2018, 3-5 pm | Free admission, donations welcome
all events »