Joe B. AND TERRY REANO (KEWA, SANTO DOMINGO PUEBLO)
Joe B. (B. 1940) and Terry Reano are master bead makers from Kewa, Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico, whose work honors one of the most ancient and revered art forms in Pueblo culture: handmade heishi beadwork.
Working entirely by hand and without modern machinery, Joe B. and Terry shape, drill, and polish each individual bead from natural materials like shell, turquoise, jet, serpentine, and coral. Their time-intensive process can take several months per strand, with each bead meticulously formed using sandstone and a traditional pump drill—a rare and demanding practice.
Terry, a lifelong artist raised in Santo Domingo Pueblo, learned bead-making from her parents and refined her skills over decades. Joe B. Reano, her husband and artistic partner, shares her commitment to authenticity and cultural preservation.
Heishi beads originated from the Santo Domingo Pueblo and are among the oldest forms of jewelry in the Southwest. The word heishi comes from the Keresan word meaning “shell bead.” These beads hold great value and spiritual significance, representing good luck and grounding the individual in nature.
The artists were quoted in an article The Art of Adornment: North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment (Southwest Art, September 1999), WRITTEN by Lois Sherr Dubin, saying, “As you wet and cut down natural turquoise, it smells like rain.”
Known for their extraordinary precision, patience, and dedication to traditional methods, the couple has earned wide respect for preserving—and advancing—the artistry of their ancestors. Their jewelry is celebrated for its graceful symmetry, natural palette, and deep cultural meaning, often incorporating symbols such as corn, a sacred emblem of growth and blessing in Pueblo life.
Joe and Terry Reano’s work is featured in notable galleries, museum collections, and private collections across the country. Together, they sign their collaborative work with their initials, “TCR” and “JBR,” marking each piece as both a work of art and a family legacy.
Visit our Native American Collection page to see jewelry from our inventory of exquisite Native American jewelry and purchase the catalog Material Beauty: Modern Hopi, Navajo, and Pueblo Artist Jewelers, which accompanied our 2018 exhibition here.
