Betty Scarpino (born 1949) is an American wood sculptor active in Indianapolis, Indiana.[1] She received the Windgate International Turning Exchange Resident Fellowship two times - once in 1999 and another in 2016 - making her the second person in the residency's history to be chosen twice.[2][3] In 2020, she was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Member from the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) for her contributions to the advancement of woodturning.[4][2] Her work is currently in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection and The Center for Art in Wood Museum's collection.[1][5]

Betty Scarpino
Born1949 Edit this on Wikidata
Wenatchee Edit this on Wikidata
Alma mater
OccupationSculptor, woodworker Edit this on Wikidata
Websitehttps://bettyscarpino.com/ Edit this on Wikidata

Early life edit

In 1949, Scarpino was born in Wenatchee, Washington.[1][6] She attended high school in Kalispell, Montana.[2] She graduated from the University of Missouri in 1981 with a Bachelor's degree in industrial design.[2][6] She has two sons - Sam and Dan - born in 1984 and 1987 respectively.[2]

Career edit

Scarpino joined the AAW in 1986.[2] She was woodworking out of her garage.[2] From 1990 -1993, she worked as an editor for the American Woodturner, the publication of the American Association of Woodturners.[2] In 1994, Scarpino took as class with woodturner Michael Hosaluk after the AAW awarded her an Educational Opportunity Grant enabling her to take a class at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.[2] At the 1997 World Turning Conference, Scarpino, along with artists Connie Mississippi and Michelle Holzapfel, participated on a panel discussing Women in Woodworking.[2][7] In 1999, Scarpino was named as one of the six Windgate International Turning Exchange Resident Fellows that year.[2][3][8] In that same year she was awarded the Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship by the Indy Arts Council and Lilly Endowment Inc.[8][9][10][11] She was a columnist for the Woodworker’s Journal from 2005 to 2008, when she left Woodworker’s Journal to become the editor of American Woodturner in 2009.[2][11][12] From August 11 - November 10, 2013, Scarpino's work was on display in the Indianapolis International Airport in Concourse B.[13] In 2015, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Collectors of Wood Art (CWA).[12]

In 2016, she received another Windgate International Turning Exchange Resident Fellowship where she focused on photojournalism.[2][3] From April - July 2017, Scarpino's work was displayed in the Smooth: Mangle Boards of Northern Europe & Contemporary Concepts exhibit alongside artists such as Ashley Eriksmoen, Katie Hudnall, and Merryll Saylan.[14] From April 5 - June 1, 2019, her work was a part of the 87th annual juried exhibit of Indiana artists at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.[12] Her work was shown in the 2021 annual juried exhibit of Indiana artists as well.[15] In May 2022, her work was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution for “This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World” exhibit.[16] From September 2 to December 27, 2022, Scarpino's work was exhibited at the American Association of Woodturners Annual Member Exhibition, Bridging the Gap: The Craft and Art of Woodturning in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[17]

Collections edit

Scarpino's work is held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum,[1] The Center for Art in Wood Museum,[5] the Museum of Fine Art, Houston,[6] Yale University Art Gallery,[18] and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.[19]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Betty Scarpino | Smithsonian American Art Museum". americanart.si.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Zander, Malcolm (June 2020). "BETTY SCARPINO 2020 AAW Honorary Lifetime Member" (PDF). American Woodturner. pp. 8–12. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Windgate ITE Resident Fellows". The Center for Art in Wood. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  4. ^ "Honorary Lifetime Members". www.woodturner.org. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  5. ^ a b "Bittersweet". The Center for Art in Wood. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  6. ^ a b c "Betty J. Scarpino | People | The MFAH Collections". emuseum.mfah.org. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  7. ^ Saylan, Merryll. "Our Stories". The Center for Art in Wood. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  8. ^ a b Wood, D (4 June 2005). "Hatching a Genre". www.woodcraft.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  9. ^ "Round 1 Fellows | Indy Arts Council". indyarts.org. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  10. ^ "Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship | Indy Arts Council". indyarts.org. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  11. ^ a b Dresdner, Michael (2005-05-17). "Betty Scarpino: Wordsmith/Woodsmith". Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  12. ^ a b c Takes, Joanna Werch (2019-04-09). "Betty Scarpino: An Update on Her Woodturning". Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  13. ^ "Wood Sculptures". Indianapolis Airport Authority. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  14. ^ "Smooth: Mangle Boards of Northern Europe & Contemporary Concepts". American Craft Council. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  15. ^ ANNUAL MEMBERS EXHIBITION A juried fine art exhibition of Indiana Artists Club Members September 2–29, 2021.The Indiana Artists Club, Inc. 2022. indianaartistsclub.orghttps://indianaartists.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/INA-MembersExh-catalog-digital-2022.pdf
  16. ^ ""This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World" Examines the State of Contemporary Craft in America Today | Smithsonian American Art Museum". americanart.si.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  17. ^ "AAW NEWS: Twenty-three Artworks Selected for AAW Member Show". www.woodturner.org. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  18. ^ "The Most Indirect Route". artgallery.yale.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  19. ^ "Stepping Out of Line, from the Altered Plates Series, Betty J. Scarpino ^ Minneapolis Institute of Art". collections.artsmia.org. Retrieved 2022-12-30.