Helen Hardin

(1943-1984)

Helen Hardin of Santa Clara Pueblo was an influential Native artist of the twentieth century. Her Tewa name was Tsa-Sah-Wee-Eh, Little Standing Spruce. In her work she merged her signature modern style and personal sense of design with traditional cultural motifs. In fact, Hardin established a reputation as one of the first female Native American artists to gain international recognition for her contemporary, cubist-like style. Her work is recognized by her use of vibrant color, meticulous pattern, interlocking shapes, and mysticism. 

Hardin's life experience was complex. Being the daughter of an Anglo father and a Native mother, she inherited at birth the cultural challenges of her mixed ethnic background. Throughout her life she carried a sense she was never fully accepted. Her mother was the famous painter Pablita Velarde.

Helen Hardin won several awards including the Avery Memorial Prize in 1975 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix.