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Betty Woodman

Betty Woodman

Betty Woodman, Portrait

Betty Woodman, renowned ceramist and the 2014 American Craft Council Gold Medalist, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1930. Attending the School for the American Craftsmen at Alfred University, Woodman graduated in 1950. In 1977, Woodman joined the faculty at Scripps College in Claremont, California, for two years before being hired at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she was instrumental in developing one of the finest ceramics programs in the country. After her retirement in 1998, the University of Colorado gave Woodman the title of professor emeritus. Primarily known for her fascination with the vase, Woodman’s work is a study of the vessel, both as an art form and a cultural symbol. Her explorations on form and motif, as well as her research on history, have taken her all over the world and are reflected in her incorporation of Italian and Mediterranean influences, as well as Chinese and Aztec, among others. Woodman’s work is incredibly eclectic, tied together by her distinctive color palette. Her work is held in permanent collections all over the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the International Ceramic Museum in Faenza, Italy, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Woodman lives and works in New York City and Antella, Italy.