Helen Hardin's mother, Pablita Velarde, was a groundbreaking Santa Clara artist who experimented with mediums and broke away from the two-dimensional style popular among Native artists of the time. She was one of the few female artists associated with the early Santa Fe Indian School of Art.
Growing up, Helen Hardin followed her mother's lead in breaking from tradition. She expanded on it, creating paintings and prints that blended traditional Pueblo imagery with contemporary design, geometric patterns, and mathematical symmetry. She was a groundbreaking artist whose work inspired many female artists to create works that both honored and shared their culture, embracing the realm of modern art. Her work is housed in most of the major art museums in the country, including the Smithsonian.
Unfortunately, she was caught between two worlds. Her father, Herbert Hardin, was a white man, and Helen was initially not fully accepted by either family because of her mixed heritage. She was not allowed to participate in Pueblo dances or ceremonies as a young person, and she initially avoided the arts in deference to her mother, with whom she lived after her parents' divorce. Ultimately, her work as an artist was a result of her efforts to recapture that heritage.
Helen, whose Santa Clara name was Tsa-Sah-Wee-Eh, which translates to "Little Standing Spruce," attended high school in Albuquerque and studied history and anthropology at the University of New Mexico. She later attended the University of Arizona before committing to painting.
She died of breast cancer at the young age of 41. It is staggering to think about what this artist could have created if her life had not been cut short.If you had ever met Helen Hardin, I think you would agree that the first thing you would notice about her was the intensity in her eyes. When she looked at you, it was clear that she was focused. Her art reflected that same focus.
Her daughter, Margarete Bagshaw, also became a groundbreaking artist but sadly passed from cancer at age 51 in 2015.
