Naida Nell Seibel

Naida Seibel passed away peacefully on March 10, 2026, at the age of 92. Naida was born on October 20, 1933, in Walnut, Kansas. She moved to Fort Collins, Colorado in 1963 where she raised two children and became a professional, full-time artist. She earned a BFA in Sculpture and Painting from Colorado State University in 1973.

Naida began her art career creating pottery and sculpture in a studio in the garage of her Fort Collins home. She operated the Southtown Gallery in Fort Collins from 1967 to 1973. As her career blossomed, she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she designed a home and studio, and lived and worked from 1983 to 2010. Later in her career, her focus shifted from sculpture to painting. In 2011, she returned to Fort Collins, and the Museum of Art Fort Collins held a retrospective show of her work.

Naida's prolific art showcased her boundless creativity, often blending painting, ceramics, fiber arts, and other mediums. Influenced by the colorful southwest, her art is vibrant, textured, diverse, and sometimes whimsical. Naida was unstoppable, working daily in the studio until her late 70's, often with a loving canine companion at her side.

Naida's sculptures and paintings can be found in countless private collections nationwide. Public collections include museums, community centers, universities, hospitals, and corporate headquarters. Her work was shown extensively in Santa Fe, throughout Colorado and the rest of Southwest, along with exhibitions in New York City, Washington D.C., La Jolla, Houston, and Dallas. Her life and art were featured in publications including Southwest Art and The Santa Fean.

From her time running Southtown Gallery in Fort Collins through her career in Santa Fe, Naida was a solid fixture in the art world, supporting and befriending many other artists, gallery owners, and collectors.

Naida is survived by her children, David W. Seibel and Margaret "Megan" Seibel and her son-in-law Francis "Frank" Dean, and grandchildren, Jackson Seibel Dean and Madeline Seibel Dean. She was proceeded in death by her brother, William H. Bowles, mother, Nell M. Bowles, and father, William Lloyd Bowles.

A Celebration of Life reception will be held from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on March 21 at Bohlender Funeral Home in Fort Collins.

In lieu of sending flowers, please consider a contribution to the Fort Collins Museum of Art.