During the conclusion of La Luz de Taos, a major new exhibition and sale at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site in Taos, New Mexico, the site unveiled a new bronze created by sculptor Ed Smida to honor the work of Virginia Couse Leavitt, Eanger Irving Couse’s granddaughter, who has been a key figure at the historic destination.
Couse Leavitt has been a prominent force at the museum, which includes the Couse home and studio and two studios that belonged to Sharp, and she has served as an anchor point for the Taos Society of Artists. Though her life only overlapped with her grandfather’s for a very short time, Couse Leavitt—who is called Ginnie by many—often writes and speaks about her grandfather and his many artist friends. 
Ed Smida, Ginnie, bronzeIn a 2019 Taos News article, Couse Leavitt is asked by a reporter what her role at the museum is: “She laughs, then replies after a thoughtful pause: ‘Resident historian.’ Or perhaps she means, ‘resident memory,’ as she ambles about the efflorescent garden, pointing out her grandmother’s touches—‘She used the garden as her palette’—and the quirks of this curious old homestead frozen in time. For only Virginia Couse Leavitt knows just what was what and what once was.”
The Smida bronze will be unveiled May 21 during the Couse-Sharp Historic Site’s biennial gala. The bronze will also mark Couse Leavitt’s 90th birthday. —
Calling all Western Art museums! Have a recently acquired painting or sculpture? Email the details to mclawson@westernartcollector.com.
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