Millicent Rogers Museum to host a tribute to promising Taos Pueblo artist
By Rick Romancito
The art of an emerging Taos Pueblo artist whose life was tragically cut short is on display in a tribute exhibition — “Honoring the Life and Work of DeAnna Autumn Leaf Suazo” — at the Millicent Rogers Museum.
The artist of Diné and Taos Pueblo heritage created work that “reflected the cultural significance, aesthetics, and strength of her communities,” a museum statement reads. She was by all accounts a rising star in the art world.
Then, on Nov. 13, 2021, Suazo’s life was cut short at the hands of her boyfriend, Santiago Martinez, who later was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. The sentence drew widespread disappointment from DeAnna’s family and supporters who publicly stated it did not reflect the severity of the crime, a TV news report stated.
The daughter of well-known artists Gary David Suazo of Taos Pueblo and Geraldine Tso of the Navajo Nation, DeAnna, 29, began making art at an early age, according to an article by this writer in the June 2024 edition of Trend Magazine. One of her fondest memories is from the time she attended the Taos Pueblo Head Start program as a young child.
“We were drawing on the floor with crayons and I remember one of the teachers was like, ‘Oh wow, DeAnna, you put a neck on your person!’ And, for some reason, that memory always stuck. Why wouldn’t you put a neck on a human figure?,” she said. “My art now is about Indigenous women present today, so what I’m doing is incorporating traditional attire — of course, it’s pre-contact attire.”
“I’m Taos Pueblo and Navajo, but we’re also very modern and know how to balance the two,” she said.
DeAnna graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in the spring of 2021 with a degree in studio arts. She also was admitted to IAIA‘s inaugural “MFA in Studio Arts” cohort in Summer 2021.
“DeAnna loved celebrating her Diné and Taos Pueblo heritage and creating art that reflected Pueblo cultural significance and aesthetics,” reads a statement from IAIA issued upon her passing. “Inspired by heroic figures of Japanese manga novels, including Sailor Moon, she imbued her work with memory, resilience and good intentions. Her most recent work emphasized figural paintings of strong Indigenous women that, in her words, ‘grind every day for a better community.’”
Her father said a small posthumous show at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque drew huge crowds, many of whom left comments like, “I’m so glad someone finally is doing something with pop culture for Native Americans. I loved the girl with the bubble gum. I loved the sunglasses.”
DeAnna showed artwork at the Southwest Association for Indian Arts Market (SWAIA) for over a decade. She was also a featured artist at many national art markets including the Heard Museum Indian Market and Fair, the Autry Museum Artist Market and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Artist Market. She was a SITE Santa Fe Scholar and a 2021 Taos Fine Arts Visionary Artist.
“She will be remembered as a dedicated student, a devoted friend, a kind person, and a passionate artist whose creativity knew no bounds,” the statement concludes.
In downtown Taos, anyone driving along Civic Plaza Drive will be reminded of her as one of the images on a mural painted on the south wall of the University of New Mexico-Taos’ Rio Grande Hall. The “Historical Women of Taos” mural by renowned artist Jenny Ustick also features images of ancestral matriarch María Rosa Villalpando, historic preservationist Cleofas Martinez Jaramillo and philanthropist Helene Wurlitzer. The mural was unveiled in May of 2022.
Inspired by her sister Shaundine, DeAnna began making drawings at an early age that reflected her interests in the world around her, “making them to her style,” her mom, Geraldine Tso, said. “She just did what she wanted.” Starting with small drawings, she eventually wanted to do larger and larger pieces. “I just let her go with it,” Tso said.
As one would expect, losing her daughter in an act of violence affected her deeply. “It struck me really hard when I was first told by Shaundine who called me early that morning,” she said. “All I could think was a beautiful girl has been taken away. It hurt a lot.”
“To this day, I feel very sad that she’s gone. I always wait for her to come through the door and say, ‘Hi mom!’”
Honoring the Life and Work of DeAnna Autumn Leaf Suazo
Exhibition continues through March 1, 2027. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Tuesday. General admission is $20, with $15 admission daily for veterans, students, and seniors (65+). Taos County residents receive free entry to the museum every Sunday. Free daily admission for children under 6, museum members, and tribal members.
Visit millicentrogers.org for updates about this exhibition and for winter hours.