Biographical Information - Sister Paula Turnbull
The Spokane arts community is home to many well-known and well-respected local artists, whose work can be found in numerous places throughout the area. One local artist, however, seems to stand out among the crowd: Sister Paula Mary Turnbull. Sister Paula, whose work includes Spokane's famous "Garbage-Eating Goat" and "Australian Sundial" has been creating works of art that have adorned the Inland Northwest for nearly half a century, making her the local celebrity that she is today.
Sister Paula Mary Turnbull taught elementary school students in the 5th and 6th grades from 1943-1952. In 1945 she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from the Holy Names College of Spokane. A few years later, in 1953, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art from the same institution. In 1957, Sister Paula earned her Masters in Fine Arts from Siena Heights College in Adrian, Minnesota. Later that year she began a 25 year career, teaching sculpture and art history at Fort Wright College in Spokane, Washington.
From 1959 to 1968, Sister Paula completed three different advanced studies at the following institutions: Parsons School of Design, New York City, New York; University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; and School of Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois. In the spring of 1970, Sister Paula began conducting month-long study-group tours for Art Studies of European sites. Sister Paula continues to conduct these annual tours today.
In 1974, Sister Paula created two of Spokane's most iconic public works of art: "Garbage-Eating Goat" and "Australian Sundial". Both pieces, located in Riverfront Park, are part of the Spokane Sculpture Walk. Sister Paula's "Garbage-Eating Goat", arguably the more famous of the two pieces, even has its own Facebook page.
In both 1976 and 1980, Sister Paula received National Endowment for the Humanities grants to study Michelangelo with Dr. Creighton Gilbert at City University of New York and Byzantine Greece with Dr. Timothy Gregory in Athens, Greece, respectively (http://www.neh.gov/).
In 2006, Sister Paula received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Gonzaga University. A few years later, in 2009, Sister Paula collaborated with local artist Betty Gardner on "Celebration of Life" at Hillyard Aquatic Center, located in Spokane, Washington (http://www.spokanearts.org/parksart.aspx). That same year Sister Paula was the recipient of a City of Spokane Arts Award for her work as an outstanding individual artist. Today, Sister Paula Mary Turnbull lives in Spokane, Washington, where she continues to create beautiful, imaginative, and divinely inspired works of art.
Other Information
The Inlander
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
The Spokesman-Review
