Contemporary artist, wood sculptor, woodturner, and woodcut printmaker
Internationally recognized as one of the masters of her genre
“Artists create glorious objects when they incorporate their life experiences into a personal vocabulary, expressive of their own particular, splendid being. What I make is a mirror of who I am, so when I speak for myself, the message rings true and sincere.”
Betty Scarpino’s contemporary wood sculptures combine fluid motion with intricate detail. Her creative energy draws people to her, and numerous awards have come her way. Scarpino was born in 1949 in Wenatchee, Washington. Her career began in the seventies, when she began making furniture and producing purely functional pieces.
She has a degree in industrial arts from the University of Missouri where she also studied woodcarving and wood sculpture. While these early years did not develop artistic innovation, Scarpino mastered the techniques that now allow her to create wood sculpture, decorative art woodturnings, and woodcut prints.
Her abstract wood sculptures and decorative art woodturnings are in the permanent collection of many major museums, including the Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Artist Statement
Planks of walnut, maple, cherry, all neatly stacked, whispered suggestively, “come, let us collaborate.” Warm surfaces, responsive to cutting and carving; the aromas, a friendly embrace. Could I have known at the time? My finding-out, a lifelong journey, sustains me through life’s ups and downs. Cut, carve, contemplate. Wood, seemingly a commonplace material – not so different from myself – chose me. In 1975 when I first entered the woodshop at the University of Missouri, I felt as though I’d come home. Fifty-plus years later, still collaborating.
Statement for the exhibit “Material Nature: John and Robyn Horn Collection,” August 15, 2026 through April 25, 2027, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock.
Grants/Awards
American Association of Woodturners, Honorary Lifetime Member 2020
Collectors of Wood Art, Lifetime Achievement Award 2015
Arts Council of Indpls. Creative Renewal Arts Fellow, 1999 and 2007
Arts Development Scholarship, Arts Alliance of Indiana, 2003
Indiana Arts Commission Grant 2002
Museum Permanent Collections
In addition to being represented in many major private collections of craft and wood art, Betty Scarpino’s wood art and sculptures are in the permanent collection of two dozen museums.
Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock
Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe
Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
Cincinnati Art Museum
The Columbus Museum, Georgia
Detroit Institute of Arts
Evansville Museum of Arts and Science, Indiana
Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
Gregg Museum of Art & Design, North Carolina State University
Honolulu Museum of Art
Indiana State Museum
Los Angeles County Art Museum
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Mint Museum of Art, Craft + Design, Charlotte, North Carolina
Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, Alabama
Museum of Arts and Design, New York
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts
Racine Art Museum, Wisconsin
Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
The Museum for Art in Wood, Philadelphia
Yale University Art Museum
Gallery Representation
Kirsten Muenster Projects
Best Photographer Ever!
Wilbur Montgomery
Through Wilbur’s eyes, camera lens, and comments, subconscious aspects of my work are revealed. “My sculptures are never finished until Wilbur shoots them!”
Featured Event
Hoosier Art Salon 100th Anniversary Exhibition
Betty’s piece won 3rd place in the 3D category in this exhibition held at the Indiana State Museum.
The exhibition ran from August 24 – October 20, 2024.
Click here for a printable catalog.
Archival Video
Betty Scarpino, 2020 AAW Honorary Lifetime Member Award
This 2021 production by the American Association of Woodturners is a short tribute to Betty Scarpino and her work.
A Conversation with Betty Scarpino
Jerry Bennett’s 2019 interview with Betty Scarpino.
Signatures in Wood
A 1993 production by the American Association of Woodturners, republished with permission from Executive Producer Pamela Vogt. Interviews with Betty Scarpino, Judy Ditmer, and Michelle Holzappel.