Angie Reano Owen

Ronald and Susan Dubin Fellowship

Angie Reano Owen, a jeweler from Santo Domingo Pueblo, is most well known for her shell inlaid jewelry techniques. This style of Pueblo jewelry—delicate pieces of turquoise, jet and coral inlaid in a mosaic pattern onto shell—dates back in time to the ancient Anasazi and Hohokam Indian cultures. Her community at Santo Domingo, located halfway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe along the banks of the Rio Grande, has been know for centuries for their exquisite work in this tradition.

Angie was selected because she is one of the finest young masters of this artform, one of the most active jewelers in this technique, and on account of this traditional style of Indian jewelry was surprisingly not well known by the general public. She is also on the forefront of keeping this a viable tradition in the marketplace.

During her two month residence at the School, Angie was busy with her own work, but also studied the School’s collection of this particular style of jewelry, and helped add catalog information to it. After her fellowship was over, she continued to work with the School in planning the Pueblo Mosaic Jewelry Convocation, which took place in April 1997. She assisted the staff with choosing the participating artists, and also acted as a facilitator during the meeting.