Sybil Yazzie facts for kids

Sybil Lansing Yazzie Baldwin (born around 1917 or 1918) was a talented Diné (Navajo) painter. She created many beautiful artworks in the 1930s.

About Sybil Yazzie Baldwin

Sybil Yazzie Baldwin was a student of Dorothy Dunn. She studied art at the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS). This school was very important. Many people consider it the place where modern Native American painting began.

Her Amazing Art

Sybil's art was truly special. From 1935 to 1937, her paintings were shown at student art shows at SFIS. Art experts like Olive Rush and Frederic Douglas loved her work. They called it "sensitive" and "outstanding." They also said her art had a "miniature style of great beauty." This means her detailed paintings were very impressive.

In 1937, one of her paintings from 1935 was shown far away. This painting, called A Crowd at a Navajo N'Da-a, traveled to London and Paris. It was made with tempera paint on paper. One art critic said it was not childish at all. They called it a "finished work of art." They praised her skill, her detailed work, and her perfect use of color.

Where Her Art Was Shown

Sybil Yazzie Baldwin's art has been displayed in many places. Besides London and Paris, her work was shown at the Museum of Northern Arizona in 1970. It was also featured at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in 2009 and 2010.

Today, some of her paintings are in important collections. Her 1935 watercolor called Navajo Weavers is owned by the Newark Museum. Another painting, a gouache from 1937 titled Yeibechai, is part of the collection at the Smith College Museum of Art.

After she left the Santa Fe Indian School, not much was written about her career. In 1968, her address was listed as the Garcia Store in Chinle, Arizona.