Indian Festival (Atteck, 1959)

SYBIL  ATTECK DATE OF BIRTH: 1911 PLACE OF BIRTH: Rio Claro, Trinidad EDUCATION: Bishop Anstey High School Regent Street Poytechnic, London, England (1934) Escuela Bellas Artes, Lima, Perru (1942) Washington University, School of Fine Arts, St. Louis, Missouri, USA (1943) CAREER:                                 When she was a teenager, Atteck's family moved from Rio Claro to Port-of-Spain where, with the encouragement of her grandmother, she was exposed to music, crochet, embroidery, floral arrangements, and the design of Carnival costumes. After leaving high school in 1928, she began working at the Botanical Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, taking a brief absence in 1934 to attend the Regent Street Polytechnic. In the early 1940s, she continued her studies in the arts at schools in Peru and the USA. Atteck was also a sculptor and completed works for the Trinidad Hilton Hotel and the Malick Roman Catholic Church. She was the first Secretary of the Trinidad Art Society, later becoming its President and gaining honorary life membership. Her art exhibits include: 2002 - "A Challenging Endeavor: The Arts in Trinidad and Tobago," Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC, USA AWARD: 1973 - Trinidad & Tobago Chaconia Medal Gold (Fine Arts) DIED: 1975 as a result of cancer. Compiled by Ronald C. Emrit