Lydia Ruyle

Lydia Ruyle (1935-2016) was an internationally recognized artist, leader, mentor, and scholar, as well as a community leader. She produced a dazzling array of visual art, including oil painting, sculpture, papermaking, and lithography. Her works have been exhibited around the world, including in England, Germany, France, Turkey, Russia, Peru, Korea, Nepal, and Italy, and at such iconic locations as the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the United Nations World Conference on Women.

Lydia met her future husband Bob when both were in kindergarten at Cameron Elementary School. She later graduated as valedictorian from Greeley High School in 1953, and was a recipient of the coveted Boettcher Scholarship, which she used to acquire a Bachelor of Arts degree (Magna cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa) at the University of Colorado. She went on to attain her Master’s Degree in Fine Arts at the University of Northern Colorado. She later taught Women’s Studies and Art History at UNC.

Her intense interest in women’s issues led her to create and operate Goddess Tours and YAYA Journeys, which produced spiritual pilgrimages for women. A major force in the creation of the Union Colony Civic Center, Lydia also served on the Greeley-Evans District 6 School Board, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, the Colorado Council on the Arts and Humanities, and the Colorado and International Women’s Forum. Lydia lived with her husband Bob, and son Stephen in Alles Acres in Greeley, the subdivision which was formed out of her grandfather’s farm. Perhaps her best known works were completed in conjunction with Louise Kearns: rip stop nylon “Goddess Banners” which displayed over 300 sacred female images from many cultures worldwide. She lovingly referred to them as “my girls.”