Sylvia Lark facts for kids

Sylvia Lark (1947–1990) was a talented Native American artist. She was a member of the Seneca people. Sylvia was also a curator, which means she helped organize art shows. She taught art too! She was famous for her Abstract Expressionist paintings and prints. Sylvia lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years.

Early Life and Education

Sylvia Lark was born in 1947 in Buffalo, New York. She went to high school at Nardin Academy in Buffalo. Sylvia loved learning and went to many schools. She studied at the University of Siena and the University at Buffalo. She earned her first degree there in 1969. Later, she went to Mills College. She also studied at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. There, she earned her master's degrees in 1970 and 1972.

Her Art Career

Sylvia Lark started teaching art in 1972. She taught at California State University, Sacramento until 1976. In 1977, she received a special award called a Fulbright-Hays Program grant. This allowed her to travel and study art in Korea and Japan.

From 1977 until 1990, Sylvia taught at the University of California, Berkeley. One of her famous students was Shirin Neshat. After Sylvia passed away, she was given a special award in 1991. It was the Distinguished Teaching Award from the College Art Association. This award honored her excellent art teaching.

Sylvia's early artwork used many symbols and patterns. Later, her style changed. She started painting more abstract pieces. These paintings had many layers of colors. They also had delicate textures. She used oil paints and a special wax painting method called encaustic. She also made unique prints called monotypes.

One of her painting series was called Jokhang (1983). These paintings showed many textures and layers of colors. They often had black leaves painted over or under them. This series was inspired by her trip to Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. She also studied Tibetan spirituality during this time.

Sylvia also helped organize art shows. In 1978, she was the curator for an exhibition. It was called Prints: New Points of View. This show was held at the Open Ring Galleries in Sacramento.

In 1992, Sylvia was honored by her old high school. She was the second person to be added to Nardin Academy's Alumnae Hall of Fame. Sylvia was also very active in art organizations. She served on the National Board of the Women's Caucus for Art. This was from 1978 to 1984. She also helped lead the Coalition of Women's Art Organization.

Later Life and Legacy

Sadly, Sylvia Lark passed away from cancer. She was 43 years old. She died in Berkeley on December 27, 1990.

Sylvia's artwork is still important today. Her paintings and prints are in many museums. You can find her work at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Her art is also at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Other museums include the Crocker Art Museum and the Sheldon Museum of Art. The Oakland Museum of California and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago also have her art.

Exhibitions

Sylvia Lark's art was shown in many exhibitions. Here are some of them:

• 1975 – Drawings and Prints by Howard Hack, Sylvia Lark, and Leonard Sussman, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California
• 1977 – Lark–Palmer Prints and Sculptures, with Sylvia Lark and Jon Palmer, Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
• 1977 – Look, Touch, Rub, Pull, Smell, and Hear, with many artists including Sylvia Lark, Artspace, Sacramento, California
• 1980 – Contemporary Trends in Presentation Drawings, curated by Roberta Loach, Linda Langston; including Sylvia Lark and others, Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, California
• 1980 – Bhirasri Institute of Modern Art, Bangkok, Thailand
• 1983 – Galerie Akmak, Berlin, Germany
• 1984 – (solo exhibition), Jeremy Stone Gallery, San Francisco, California
• 1985 – Galerie Hartje, Frankfurt, Germany
• 1986 – The 54th Hanga Annual, Japan-California Print Exhibition, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
• 1987 – The Ethnic Idea, curated by Andrée Maréchal-Workman, including Sylvia Lark and many other artists, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, California
• 1991 – North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Fork, North Dakota
• 2002 – Art/Women/California, Paralells and Intersections: 1950–2000, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California

See also

• List of Native American artists