About Betz
Betz Bernhard grew up outside New York City. She earned a B.F.A. from The Kansas City Art Institute and an M.F.A. from the University of Washington where she studied ceramic sculpture. Over the years she has worked in many mediums including ceramics, concrete, mosaics, printmaking, and recently fabric.
She has created public art for the Woodland Park Zoo, the City of Tacoma, several Washington State schools and SeaTac Airport. Her work is included in many private and corporate collections.
About the Work
“Several years ago I fell in love with old Japanese kimono silk. I found myself spending long hours meditating over combinations of color and texture. Although I create my work by stitching together fabric on a sewing machine, my approach is more like an abstract painter than a quilt maker… the beauty of the silk shows me the way.” – Betz Bernhard
CV
M.F.A. University of Washington 1978
B.F.A. Kansas City Art Institute 1975
Gallery Representation
Zinc Contemporary, Seattle WA
Commissions
2014 Cat and Dog Clinic of Bellevue, Bellevue WA
2000 Washington State Arts Commission Direct Purchase, Tacoma School District, Crescent Heights Elementary, WA
1991 Sea-Tac Airport Concourse Improvement Project, Port of Seattle, Seattle WA
1990 Washington State Arts Commission Direct Purchase, Central Kitsap School District and Issaquah School District, WA
1989 Shoreline District Court Art Project, King County Arts Commission, Seattle WA
1988 Jennie Reed Elementary, Tacoma WA
1983 Washington State 1% for Art, Norman Rockwell Elementary, Redmond WA
1980 Fire Station #5, 1% for Art, Tacoma WA
1979 Woodland Park Zoo, City of Seattle 1% for Art, Seattle WA
1979 Woodland Park Zoo, private commission, Seattle WA
Private and Corporate Collections
Children’s Hospital at Stanford University, Palo Alto CA
Microsoft, Redmond, WA
McDonalds Corporate Headquarters, Bellevue WA
Woods and Associates, Seattle WA
The Bellevue Club, Bellevue WA
Lillian Vernon, Rye NY
Leonard and Norma Klorfine, Seattle WA
Bill Gates, Medina WA
Selected Exhibitions
2018 Zinc Contemporary Gallery, Seattle, WA
2017 Bainbridge Arts and Crafts Inc., Bainbridge Island, WA
2017 ArtXchange Gallery, Seattle, WA
2016 Kirkland Art Center, Kirkland, WA
2002 Gunnar Nordstrom Gallery, Kirkland WA
2001 Gallery 500, Philadelphia PA
1999 Seattle Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery, Seattle WA
1999 Gallery 500, Philadelphia PA
1999 Bainbridge Arts and Crafts Inc., Bainbridge Island WA
1996 Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Bellingham WA
1992 Kittridge Gallery, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma WA
1991 Boise Art Museum, Boise ID
1989 Pulliam Nugent Gallery, Portland OR
1989 Mia Gallery, Seattle WA