Sue Jean Covacevich

• Sue Jean Covacevich (1905-1998) established herself as an artist and art educator in South Central Kansas after more than ten years working and teaching in Mexico.

• A native of Wellington, KS, Covacevich spent most of her career in nearby Winfield. She established the art department at Southwestern College and chaired the art departments of Derby Senior High School in Derby, KS, and Cowley County Community College of Arkansas City, KS.

• The subjects of Covacevich’s art ranged from the Kansas landscape to world monuments. She explored many forms of media, including painting, printmaking, mosaic, sculpture, and stained glass.

• Covacevich studied art with Swedish American painter Birger Sandzén at Bethany College, Lindsborg, KS. Sandzén became a lifelong friend.

• Covacevich moved to Mexico City in 1932 and saw firsthand Mexico’s great public murals. This experience inspired her to do similar projects in Kansas, such as a 63-foot mural for a bank building in Winfield and a stained glass window for the First Christian Church in McPherson, KS.

• Image credit: http://suejeancovacevich.com/images/