Tse Pe, Irene

Born into San Ildefonso Pueblo in 1961, Irene Tse-Pe was the daughter of Dora Tse-Pe and Tse-Pe. She grew up learning how to make pottery through watching and working with her parents. She also had significant exposure to her paternal grandmother Rose Gonzales and her maternal grandmother Candelaria Gachupin. She spoke often of her fond memories from growing up with them. And she learned a lot from them.

Irene was only 15 in 1976 when she earned a First Place ribbon at Santa Fe Indian Market in the student category for a bowl she made. That same year she earned the Bummer Hurff Award for Best Student Pottery at Santa Fe. In 1980 she earned a Second Place ribbon for a piece, still as a student at Santa Fe. Then in 1986 as an adult she earned a Second Place ribbon in the Figures category at Santa Fe.

In 1974, some of Irene’s work was shown as part of the Seven Families in Pueblo Pottery exhibition at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico. She was a participant in the Santa Fe Indian Market for more than 25 years, beginning in 1976.