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Featured Article: "Bubalo, Sylvia Gross (1928-2007)" (Read full article) Sylvia Gross Bubalo, 1962. Photo: Courtesty of Leonard Gross. "Martha Convent's Cap Strings Keep Blowing in the Wind" Painting by Sylvia Gross Bubalo, 1978. Sylvia Gross Bubalo, artist and poet, grew up in the Franconia Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC). Her created art works and poetry reflect and interpret the Mennonite culture of her times (the 1930s and following). She was most likely the first visual artist to do so within the Mennonite Church. She was born in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on 25 November 1928, and died on 30 October 2007 in Goshen, Indiana – at which time she was a member of the College Mennonite Church in Goshen. Her parents were Titus L. Gross (1902-1976) and Olive S. (Moyer) Gross (1903-1987). She was the second child of five. Her baptism took place around 1942 at the Doylestown Mennonite Church. Bubalo started out in life with a handicap. She was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, and consequently, her highly developed intellect became her mainstay of life, which she used judiciously and effectively. She was destined to become an artist, in spite of her growing up in a traditional (old) Mennonite setting. She was ahead of her time on numerous fronts. She pushed back against the patriarchy of her time through astute biblical understanding, confounding many ministers whom she challenged with confidence. These experiences are reflected in two of her paintings, among others: The Last of the Red-Hot Papas and Martha Convent’s Cap Strings Keep Blowing in the Wind. Her life in the Blackstone community of Chicago, and her experiences in the intercultural church community of Woodlawn Mennonite Church in Chicago gave her insight into the racialization of African Americans, which also shows up in her art already in the early 1960s. She was also ahead of her time when it came to engaging with the Indigenous history and culture of North America. She was particularly interested in the Hopi Nation with their commitment to pacifism. Her Indigenous interests also show up in her art.

Our Mission The Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online provides reliable, freely-available English-language information on Anabaptist-related congregations, denominations, conferences, institutions and significant individuals, as well as historical and theological topics. Secular subject articles from an Anabaptist perspective and full-text source documents are also included. See our About page to learn more about GAMEO's history, management and vision. Corrections and Suggestions Article corrections or suggestions for new content should be emailed to admin@gameo.org. As a volunteer organization we are unable to respond to questions on Mennonite history or genealogical questions of any kind. For questions of that type, please contact a local genealogical society, or check with a Mennonite historical library or archives. US $ Cdn $ Donate We welcome donations to GAMEO via Mennonite World Conference, in either USD or CAD. Enter the amount in the box labeled “Other” and write GAMEO in the “Designate by Donation” field. Your support helps to sustain GAMEO’s mission–thank you! Other Mennonite Encyclopedias GAMEO works together with the editors of other Mennonite encyclopedias to make their content available in the English language. These encyclopedias include: Lexikon der Mennoniten in Paraguay Mennonitisches Lexikon (MennLex) GAMEO falls under the umbrella of the Mennonite World Conference Faith and Life Commission. Members of the Management Board include: Mennonite Historical Society of Canada, Mennonite Church USA Archives, Mennonite Brethren Historical Commission, Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite World Conference, Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism, and the D. F. Plett Historical Research Foundation.