Remembered as a shining star
AS A GROUND, she used lined pages from old ledger books which directly recalled a harsher time in history, when such books were given to budding Native artists while incarcerated or held on reservations far from their original homelands. This was a period of time when the United States government was engaged in a stated program to forcefully assimilate Indians or wipe them out.
The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe described her work thusly, “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.'”
Tragically, the bright promise that lay ahead for this rising star in the art world was cut short when Suazo was found dead at Taos Pueblo on the morning of November 13, 2021. Her boyfriend, Santiago Martinez, has since been arrested and charged with her death. She was 29.
Soon after, commenters on social media expressed horror and disbelief that someone so young and full of promise was taken so soon.
“The loss of young Deanna is the latest example of something much deeper happening in our society– including tribal communities,” a statement reads from the Coalition to Stop Violence A Against Native Women. “It is an expression of the lack of action coming from men in power, who sustain impunity and thus perpetuate the devaluing of women's lives. Because we must be clear that Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women is not simply a women's issue, it is also a men's issue that needs to be addressed by men for men.”
Suazo's godfather, Diné artist Tony Abeyta, posted, ““Thank you Deanna Autumn Leaf Suazo for being the absolute best [goddaughter] anyone could ever have had. I was so fortunate to watch you grow from a small child into an amazingly talented woman. These short but special lives flourish with beautiful gifts and let us know that every day counts with wonderful spirits in our midst. I love you dearly… you sweet angel. I celebrate your life and your art knowing that I was there to bear witness to it all and we are all so proud of you.”
Suazo graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Spring 2021 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in studio arts and was admitted to IAIA‘S inaugural Masters in Studio Arts cohort in Summer 2021.
In an article for the 2020 summer issue of Trend Magazine, Suazo 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.”
“We're deep into our traditions,” she said. “I'm Taos Pueblo and Navajo, but we're also very modern and know how to balance the two ... For our tribe to be one of the first to get our land back from the U.S. government was monumental. For so many Indigenous communities, their land was taken and they're no longer able to do their ceremonies.”
The daughter of well-known artists Gary David Suazo (Taos Pueblo) and Geraldine Tso (Diné), Deanna Suazo began making art at an early age. We spoke with Gary about his daughter's early years and the importance of her art to a new generation.
One thing about Deanna's artwork is she had a heavy influence on Native American women, young women. Growing up in contemporary society and also a traditional society, she tried to combine both of those together. And also in a way, she was showing kind of a little serious about it, but in a