B E T T Y B R A NC H

B E T T Y B R A NC H THROUGH THE CROW’S EYE, A RETROSPECTIVE

SEPTEMBER 17 TO NOVEMBER 21, 2009

CURATED BY AMY G. MOOREFIELD, MUSEUM DIRECTOR

THE ELEANOR D. WILSON MUSEUM

AT HOLLINS UNIVERSITY

Betty Branch: Through the Crow’s Eye, a Retrospectivewas published on the occasion of the exhibition organized by the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins Universityfrom September 17 to November 21, 2009.

Curated by Amy G. Moorefield, Director of the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University

Published by the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia. © 2009 Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University

“Through the Crow’s Eye” © 2009 Amy G. Moorefield

“Heart of Stone, Wings of Bronze: The Paradoxical Workof Betty Branch” © 2009Deborah McLeod

“King of the Crows” © 1988 Betty Branch

ISBN-10: 0-9823025-1-7ISBN-13: 978-0-9823025-1-4

Publication Director: Amy G. MoorefieldDesign: Anstey Hodge

Biographical information on artist Betty Branch compiled byStephanie Vrobel, curatorial intern.

Photographers: Richard Boyd, Roanoke, VA Amy Nance-Pearman, Roanoke, VA Richard Braaton, Roanoke, VAPolly Branch, Roanoke, VAKathryn Wetzel, Richmond, VASaba, Lucca, ItalyChannel 15 Productions, Blue Ridge Public TV, Roanoke, VA

Printer: Worth Higgins and Associates, Richmond, VA

All works are courtesy of the artist Betty Branch and Lendersnoted in the checklist.

Front, back, inside front cover,title and contents pages image:Detail from Passage, 1994, India ink on tracing paper.

This catalogue was printed four-color process with a dull aqueouscoating on 100# McCoy Mattecover and text.

All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system ortransmitted in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher andcopyright holder(s).

The Eleanor D. Wilson Museumat Hollins UniversityPost Office Box 96798009 Fishburn DriveRoanoke, Virginia 24020540 362 6532www.hollins.edu/museum

4 King of the Crows by Betty Branch

6 Betty Branch: Through the Crow’s Eyeby Amy G. Moorefield

20 Heart of Stone, Wings of Bronze: The Paradoxical Work of Betty Branchby Deborah McLeod

34 Exhibition checklist

36 Artist biography

40 Acknowledgments

C ON T E N T S

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THERE’S AN AWESOME DIN IN THE MEADOW…

THE CROWS ARE MOURNINGTHEIR KING.

THEIR BULLET CRIES LODGE IN MY HEAD.

I KNEW ALL ALONG THATPREJUDICE WAS LICENSE TO KILL.I KNEW IT WHEN I EXPLAINEDTO BILL & TOM

WHY I NEEDED A GUNTO SHOOT CROWS.I KNEW IT THE FIRST TIME I

RAISED THE GUN FROM THEKITCHEN WINDOW AND BONNY

WAS SITTING IN THE DINING ROOM(THAT TIME—BECAUSE SHE WAS

THERE – I COULD NOT PULLTHE TRIGGER.)

BUT THE GUN WAS THEREA TARGET TOO WE HAD

SPORTED A BIT FROM THE LONG BENCH ON THE FRONT PORCH AT DUSK-TO SEE WHO COULD HIT THE BULLSEYE. THE GUN

WAS NOT THE GREATEST—NORWE AS MARKSMEN—NO ONESCORED HIGH EXCEPT BY ACCIDENTWE PRETTY MUCH AGREED.

Bill carried the gunin his car a few times to themailbox and back or out onSunday morning to 6:30Bible Study, but he didn’tkill any crow.

THIS MORNING, gloriously alonequiet, still, silver sun on patioI lay down to peace and

THE RAUCOUS SOUND OF CROWSNOT IN THE MEADOW, NOT IN THE FRONT YARDBUT IN THE SANCTITY OF MY FENCED LOCKED SUNLIT TERRACE.

ENRAGED, I WENT FOR THE GUN

THE SLAMMING DOOR DISLODGEDTHE CROWS FROM BACK TO FRONT

AND I IN HOT PURSUIT.Down the yard & out of range

they flewstopped.

BLACK—UGLY—UNGAINLY ANTAGONISTSON THE FRONT SLOPE.

Into the car, gun & IDown the drive for better

aim & FIRE!THE BIG BLACK CROW

FLEW UP THEN FALTERED ANDFELL BACK.

I AIMED & FIRED AGAINTHE PELLETS HIT THE STIFFBLACK FEATHERS – ABSORBED, OR

FELL AWAY.THE CROW HALF HOPPED

HALF DRAGGED HIMSELF DOWNTHE HILL… ME FIRING & HEARINGTHAT DULL DRY FEATHER THUDof pellet still the crow

would not fall.THERE WAS NO SOUND IN THEMEADOW AND NO WAY FOR METO FINISH WHAT I’D BEGUN

Betty Branch, 1988

KING OF THE CROWS

Betty Branch claimed her artistic nature at the age offorty—by way of the mythicalphoenix—a creature that castsoff its old life to begin anew. She did not close the door

completely but instead sloughed off the fetters of the ordinary and traded it for the

extraordinary. In translation,her devotional approach toartistic pursuits is done with a zealot-like tenacity. Branch’sforce of will in carving out aunique place in the larger artworld has served her well.

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Betty Branch: Through the Crow’s Eyeby Amy G. Moorefield, Director

Above and opposite: Betty Branch in her studio July, 2009.

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This exhibition showcases over thirty years of the celebrated artist’s work from sculpturesand drawings to performance documentationand works influenced by the land. It is not aconventional retrospective. It highlights decades’worth of experimentation and perseverance by the artist and is the physical manifestation ofthe primordial ideal of life’s constant recreationof itself. Displayed in a non-chronological format, the exhibition calls attention to Branch’sfluidity throughout her artistic career betweennaturalistic and abstract modes of expression.She is constantly reinventing herself.

Throughout her career, Betty has culled visualreferences from ancient matriarchal civilizationsto current cultural events, from Greece to the foothills of the Blue Ridge. One looking in her studio would be inundated with layers ofephemera, references to abundant culturalgroups, and sketches of her own work in progressinterspersed with the tools of her trade. Cumulatively it bears evidence to over thirtyyears of intensive production.

Branch has stayed resolute to lifelong tenets that define her work: the body, rites of passage both traditional and unorthodox, the intersection between land and form, andthe Crow. Her media is diverse; she sculpts with marble, clay, bronze, stone, porcelain, terracotta, earthenware, and straw. Each medium is a talismanic touchstone for her art; Branch ferrets out the essence of every one of these for exploitation. Her first foray into the medium of clay transpired in an introductory potterycourse. In a cathartic moment, Branch felt its attraction and henceforth began her lifelonglove of the tactile medium. She states, “Once I touched the clay, a powerful force came over me …. I knew what I had to do, what I wascompelled to do.” 1

Branch looks to impressive Cycladic Greek fertility goddesses and other sources of femininegenesis to form complex and substantial sculptural works that exude power and energy.Paying homage to the multiple generations of sculptors before her focusing on that subject,Branch pulls on that rich history to form workthat is joyous and earthy as displayed by her series Maternitas. In the marble work MaternitaRustica (1987), the pregnant torso swells and dipsto a vulvate epicenter. She takes advantage of the marble form by carving into the block toemphasize the veining over the swollen belly.Her female forms’ proportions vacillate betweenthe lush and the lissome, channeling artists ofthe Belle Époque Art Noveau era such as Camille

Ritual Fire, 1986Video documentation of performanceCollection of the artist

Journal sketch for Ritual Fire

Claudel and Gaston Lachaise, evident in theswelling thighs of Branch’s variegated alabasterMountain Woman (1987) or the twisting torso ofthe black-hued Fire Dancer Nero (1988).

Her relationship to the Crow is paradoxical. Is it a spirit guide or metaphor? Branch describesher initial relationship with the Crow in herpoem “King of the Crows”:

“This morning gloriously alonequiet, silver sun on patioI lay down to peace andthe raucous sound of crowsnot in the meadow, not in the front yardbut in the sanctity of my fencedlocked sunlit terraceEnraged, I went for the gun.”2

Originally perceived as an antagonist, the Crow became through its death a metaphor for Branch: a nagual. In its physical sacrifice, the Crow became one with the artist. HauntingBranch, the Crow has revisited her through the years as the subject in majestic work such as Raven’s Gate (2005), Survivor (1995), andthe monumental Honor Guard (2004). Whenquestioned about the symbiotic relationship,Branch also refers to the Crow as an archetypalimage for aging. In looking to find subject matterin her work to mirror her own aging process,Branch sought solace in the ideal of the Crow.

Rites of passage have always interested Branch,particularly ceremonies addressing subjugation

and death. Liminality—when one is on thethreshold between two existing planes—is a strongcatalyst played out in her work Mothers (1984)and the performance Ritual Fire. In Mothers, nineearthy burlap straw-filled forms hover togetherforming a cluster that looms protectively over the viewer. When the temporal forms beganto decay, Branch set the Mothers aflame in a quarry inspired by the Hindu Sati tradition inwhich widows would immolate themselves on their husbands’ funeral pyres. In turning the patriarchal Sati tradition on its end, Branchfound a fitting conclusion to her dying Mothers.In All Fall Down, porcelain cylinders are formedinto prepubescent faceless figures made helpless sans hands and feet. Referencing an act of brutality committed against a woman

B E T T Y B R A NC H : T H R OU G H T H E C R OW ’ S EY E B E T T Y B R A NC H : T H R OU G H T H E C R OW ’ S EY E

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Survivor, 1995Bronze, 13 x 13 x 5 inchesCollection of J. David and Mary Ann Wine

in 1983, Branch translates the contemporaryhorror into a poignant tableau of universal victimization in which the figures are mutilated,helpless, and yet aware of the act.

In sculpting the land, Branch uses the native topography as a medium and its decaying residuefor impetus. She creates work that interactswith a selected environment; however, theresidual appearance of the effected landscape isleft unscathed. This subtle nuance is at oddswith other relative land works by artists such as Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1970) or JamesTurrell’s progressive work Roden Crater (1979-present day) that leave a permanent erodingresidue on the land. Branch’s environmentalsensitivity in leaving a site unblemished is crucialto understanding her artistic aesthetic. Translatedto the exhibition, several of Branch’s works will be placed in sitú on Hollins University’s historiccampus. In particular, Double Spiral (2009) a site-specific monumental land work createdfrom straw emphasizes Branch’s inextricable relationship to the surrounding landscape.

In Branch’s capricious found works, she cullsthrough the detritus and discovers inspiration.In Spring (2006) and her other readymadeworks, she delights in the found (think MarcelDuchamp) and in the act of creating whimsicallyhumorous objects that showboat her brevity. In the works Weighty Matter, No Yoke, Bo Bo, DoubleAxe, Mary Queen of Scots, Omphales, Burp, and LittleOne-Eye (2008-09), Branch finds merriment in

experimenting through the process of discoveringthe discarded and abandoned treasures thencreating pedestals (imagine Brancusi) thatcomplement them. One finds discarded banisterspindles topped by tarnished spheres and Lucitecubes with odd rusty weights to name a few.

Through this exhibition, Branch illustrates hertenacity and strength via her spiritual animal—the Crow. Honoring a lifetime of creativity and reinvention, one admires Branch’s sense ofdetermined purpose. In essence, it may be saidthat Branch perceives the best of life “throughthe crow’s eye.”

1 Quote by artist during meeting, March 2009.2 Excerpt from poem “King of the Crows” by Betty Branch

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Found Sculptures, 2000-09 (Weighty Matter, No Yoke, Bo Bo,Double Axe, Mary Queen of Scots, Omphales, Burp, Little One-Eye)Mixed media, various dimensions Collection of the artist

Raven’s Gate, 2005Bronze, granite, steel 112 inches and 84 inchesCollection of the artist

B E T T Y B R A NC H : T H R OU G H T H E C R OW ’ S EY E

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All Fall Down, 1983Grouping of fiveVarious sizesLow fired porcelainCollection of the artist

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Fire Dancer Nero, 1988Black Belgian marbleCollection of Sybil andBob Fishburn

Maternita Rustica, 1987Portuguese Rose marble 23 x 14 x 8 inchesCourtesy of Larry and Sally Mann

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It’s not surprising that BettyBranch would settle upon acrow as her motif for a lifetime’soutlay of vibrant, metamorphic,and keenly insightful work.With many seemingly conflicting attributes, the crow is one of the archetypalembodiments of creationmythology: the dark-wingeddaily messenger of illuminatedawareness and shadowy interstice. He feeds on mortal transience and offers it flight.

Heart of Stone, Wings of Bronze:The Paradoxical Work of Betty Branchby Deborah McLeod

Right: In preparation for this exhibition catalogue, Betty Branch inspects the lighting for a photograph of her work Raven’s Gate at her studio in July 2009.

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That essentially describes the inherent natureof Branch’s work when it is considered in its entirety. What the viewer will discover in thisthoughtfully assembled retrospective collectionof sculpture—and a few implicated works on paper—is a compassionate portrayal of thehuman condition translated through gesture,form, and skin, airborne through imaginationand intensification, theatre and theodicy.

Betty Branch’s journey toward becoming a nationally renowned, internationally celebratedsculptor is an inspiring story for those sensingin themselves a long-sequestered voice. It was anunanticipated, curved trajectory that conveyedher to this extraordinary gathering of artwork(thus perhaps not quite as the crow flies). Betty was a young wife, a mother of eight, and afaithful adherent to the beliefs of her upbringing,who kept a journal to record her private poetry.Within these matrices of social propriety, she found in herself an undeniable calling for amore substantive physical and emancipatedpsychic outlet.

So seeking her own renaissance, she enteredHollins College in 1974, at the age of forty, topursue art. Hollins cleared the low-hangingbranches from her path and she was soon off tofind and share her exceptional ability.

A postgraduate apprenticeship at Miles andGeneralis Sculpture Services in Philadelphiaand work in Nicoli Studios in Carrara, Italy,

originated many of Branch’s early creations in marble. Included in the exhibition, Gaia is anunconventional bas-relief Madonna work of somewhat Byzantine flavor. It is the artist’sfirst effort in the highly challenging medium.

The works of this developmental period would, during several residencies in Carrara,torque the spine of Branch’s particular fascinationfor a particular subject. The Madonna or the Goddess—sometimes portrayed as a fetish object, other times as an elegant sylph figureslipping through the wind, or a fecund odalisque,or in the eloquent virtue of a still torso—allcontinued to emerge from within the stone as the artist improvised on a variety of art historical styles through the figure. In seekingnew forms of truth from the mysteries ofhuman and particularly feminine beauty, Branchinstilled in her sculpture a silent glimpse intothe omniscience that hides inside art; perhapsthis is her own argument for the complex evidence of temptation, labor, purpose, faith,and design. It’s the drama that Branch adds to the argument that breathes such lifeand belief into it.

From formal contemplations on late-19th- century French Art Nouveau aesthetic—exceptin a feminist counterpoint—to the satiny volupte´of Maillol related instead in the first-personvoice informed by eight pregnancies, to a morecontemporary response to a violent incidentnudged into penetrating form via Pre-Columbian

Small Goddess, 1994Bronze, 15 x 12 x 10 inchesCollection of the artist

HEART OF STONE, WINGS OF BRONZE: THE PARADOXICAL WORK OF BET TY BRANCH

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Interlude, 1985Bronze, 24 x 13 x 7 inchesCollection of Walter and Sally Rugaber

Samurai, 1988Spanish Bardelio marble31 x 13 x 6 inchesCollection of the artist

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interpretation of this story is exquisitely sensitive and riveting. The vulva-like figureshave only innocence in their faces, and in fact seem more like victims of something theyhave no control over. One does not feel aggression in their collective countenance butrather submission to some unjust form of destiny. All Fall Down came into being as a resultof an incident in the news—the 1983 rape of a woman by a group of men in a pool hall.The alien form given to this narrative installation derives from the Pre-ColumbianChinesco style of terracotta fertility figure, primarily depicted with seated spread legs and swollen genitalia. Branch’s stylized objectification of the grim, complicated storyvivifies it. She disallows it any convenient compartmentalization, but offers it abstract empathy.

And The Crow. For many summers he taunted noisily from the trees near Betty Branch’shome. One day, she went out to put an end to his menace. But instead of cleanly dispatchinghim with a bullet that morning, she witnessedas he suffered. In drawing The Crow she found the cosmos’s mirth, its capacity for self-critical humor. In sculpting him she ultimatelycreated Icarus with tender metaphorical comprehension for her subject’s greater collectivestory. Many recountings of creative aspirationand faith are affixed one by one as feathers thatcompose all idealists’ outspread wings. The plight of Branch’s Icarus being almost a

crucifixion, however, implies an ascending conclusion, rather than the parable’s well-knowndescending one. It may not be a simple matterto find mirth in such a seemingly dire outcome,unless one sees it from the viewpoint of theomnivorous crow.

ceramics, such construals are observed throughoutBranch’s oeuvre as she plucks resoundinglyfrom these eras, exploiting their original termsin real, autobiographical time.

Looking closely at some examples in the retrospective, consider an important earlysculpture, Mothers. A series of towering prehistoric-seeming effigy forms, methodically wrapped in burlap, gather together as protectors and power figures. They exude a warm pungentscent in unison: a wordless aromatic chant.They also provide evidence of a physical dichotomy that Branch regularly explores as sheswitches between additive and reductive sculpture. Mothers began construction throughthe artist’s ritual swathing process with the raw fabric. Mothers existed intact for a period of two years before all but two of them underwent another ritual, the documentedevent of their immolation on a barge in anearby quarry. This new transformation bearswitness to a reductive progression.

Branch’s ceramic work in general seems todemonstrate her interest in message-makingthrough an additive approach, while her ongoing stone carving (and subsequent bronzecastings) suggests a removal of the extraneous, a search for purity of intention and essence, of less accessible inner substance.

The figural sculpture thus offers a wide rangeof temperaments. Some Mother works might

hold dominion over viewers, such as mentionedabove, or summon them through the marble’scool film and into its glowing, burgeoning womb.Lyrical marble forms like The Dancer (1988) and Fire Dancers, which were cast in bronze frommarble in 2007, express fluid movement to the figure, inferring a release of consciousness,an opening of the mind, a revelation of theveining of the stone therein. Or the artist imbues it in the quiet stateliness of a concavespine as in Maternita Rosa II (1987).

Meanwhile, acerbic clay installations like Dragons Teeth (1983) and All Fall Down (1983) advocate for and against the darker side of humanpassions and fates with foreboding. In Greeklegend, dragon teeth, extracted at the death of the mythical beast, were planted in the groundto sprout into fierce warriors. Branch’s potent

Honor Guard, 2004Bronze and steel, 9 x 4 x 4 feet Collection of Ross and Beth Myers at American Infrastructure, Worcester, PA

Detail from Dragons Teeth, 1983Installation, various sizesTerracotta, low fired porcelain, earthenwareCollection of the artist

HEART OF STONE, WINGS OF BRONZE: THE PARADOXICAL WORK OF BET TY BRANCH HEART OF STONE, WINGS OF BRONZE: THE PARADOXICAL WORK OF BET TY BRANCH

Laughing Crow, 1994India ink on onion skin paper38 x 45 inchesCollection of the artist

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Mother of God, 1990Verona Red marble 26 x 12 x 6 inchesCollection of the artist

Mountain Woman, 1987Alabaster12 x 24.25 x 8.5 inchesCollection of Karen Waldron and Shawn Ricci

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Gift Bearer, 1987Hydrocal on steel 94 x 36 x 32 inchesCollection of the artist

Passage, 1994India ink on tracing paper48 x 60 inchesCollection of the artist

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All Fall Down, 1983Grouping of five Various sizesLow fired porcelainCollection of the artist

Avatar, 1988Black Belgian marble 43 x 17 x 18 inchesCollection of the artist

Crows (Laughing Crow, Passage,Guard Crow, Red Eyed Crow)1994Suite of four drawings Various sizesIndia ink on onion skin/tracing paperCollection of the artist

Dancer II, 2008Study after The DancerBronzeCollection of Janice R. Moore

Dragons Teeth, 1983Installation, various sizesTerracotta, low firedporcelain, earthenwareCollection of the artist

Family portraits (Billy, Polly, Tom, Bonny)1978-79Hydrocal (Billy and Tom)and clay (Polly and Bonny)Various sizesCollection of the artist

Fire Dancer II, 2007Bronze, 31 x 15 x 12 inchesCollection of CharlotteOrth and Kenneth J. Reckford

Fire Dancer III, 2007Bronze33 x 19 x 15 inchesCollection of the artist

Fire Dancer Nero, 1988Black Belgian marbleCollection of Sybil andBob Fishburn

Gaia, 1987Carrara marble 12 x 43 x 15 inchesCollection of the artist

Gift Bearer, 1987Hydrocal on steel 94 x 36 x 32 inchesCollection of the artist

Honor Guard, 2004Bronze and steel 9 x 4 x 4 feet Collection of Ross and Beth Myers at American Infrastructure,Worcester, PA

Icarus, 1995Installation of fiveBronze, 12 x 14 x 4 inchesCollection of the artist

Interlude, 1985Bronze, 24 x 13 x 7 inchesCollection of Walter and Sally Rugaber

Juggler I, 1996Bronze, 29 x 10 x 6 inchesPrivate collection of Dr. Richard Grayson

Little Mountain Woman I2008Bronze, 12 x 5 x 6 inchesCollection of the artist

Macedonia, 2003Bronze, 17 x 20 x 6 inchesCollection of the artist

Maternita Rosa II, 1987Portuguese Rose marble 38 x 17 x 13 inchesCollection of the artist

Maternita Rustica, 1987Portuguese Rose marble 23 x 14 x 8 inchesCourtesy of Larry andSally Mann

Mother of God, 1990Verona Red marble 26 x 12 x 6 inchesCollection of the artist

Mothers, 1994Burlap and straw 12 x 4 x 2 feetCollection of VirginiaWestern Community College

Mothers III, 1984Bronze, 14 x 6 x 6 inchesCollection of the artist

Mountain Woman, 1987Alabaster12 x 24.25 x 8.5 inchesCollection of Karen Waldron and Shawn Ricci

Nero Ombre, 1994Belgian Marble28 x 18 x 8 inchesCollection of the EleanorD. Wilson Museum at Hollins University2005.397Gift of the artist forFounder’s Day, 1994

Out of the Box I, 2003Bronze, 13 x 12 x 4 inchesCollection of the artist

Raven’s Gate, 2005Bronze, granite, steel 112 inches and 84 inchesCollection of the artist

Ritual Fire, 1986Video documentation ofperformanceCollection of the artist

Road Show, 2006Bronze, 28 x 12 x 18 inchesCollection of the artist

Samurai, 1988Spanish Bardelio marble 31 x 13 x 6 inchesCollection of the artist

Small Goddess, 1994Bronze, 15 x 12 x 10 inchesCollection of the artist

Spring, 2006Found materials 100 x 16 x 14 inchesCollection of the artist

Survivor, 1995Bronze, 13 x 13 x 5 inchesCollection of J. David andMary Ann Wine

The Box, 1996Bronze, 12 x 12 x 1 inchesCollection of the artist

Trophy Crow, 2006Bronze, 18 x 7 x 17 inchesCollection of the artist

Studies, c. 1980s (Ombre, Maternita, Small Goddess, Striding Woman II,three studies for Fire Dancer)Bronze, various dimensionsCollection of the artist

Found Sculptures2000-09(Weighty Matter, No Yoke, Bo Bo, Double Axe, Mary Queen of Scots, Omphales,Burp, Little One-Eye)Mixed media Various dimensions Collection of the artist

Double Spiral, 2009Hay, dimensions variableSite-specific installation

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Education

1952 David Lipscomb College. Nashville, Tennessee. 1973 Virginia Western Community College.

Roanoke, Virginia. 1977 Independent study with Denis Knight,

College of the Bahamas Design and Fabrication. Clay and fiber from local materials.

1977 Studied with Gerogiana Mailloff, Vancouver, British Columbia. Wood carving. Totem culture of Pacific Northwest.

1979 Hollins College. Roanoke, Virginia.Bachelor of Arts Degree in Studio Art (Summa cum laude).

1980 Apprenticeship at Miles and Generalis Sculptural Services. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1987 Hollins College. Roanoke, Virginia. Master of Arts in Liberal Studies. In-depth study—Athens, Greece and Sitia, Crete. Monograph on the great goddess culture of Crete. (Academic Citation).

Awards and Recognitions

1983 Best in Show Award for Dragons Teeth. 25th Annual Sidewalk Art Show.Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts. Roanoke, Virginia.

1985 Award for Dragons Teeth in traveling exhibit: Virginia Women Artists: Female Experience in Art. Armory Gallery, Virginia Tech. Blacksburg, Virginia.

1998 Allied Artist Award. Board of Directors of AIA Blue Ridge.

2002 C. Percival Dietsch Prize for Small Goddess.Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina.

2006 Bedi-Makky Foundry Prize for Macedonia. National Sculpture Society.

2007 YWCA Woman of Achievement in the Arts.

2008 Sally Fishburn Crockett Award. Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge.

2009 The Roanoker: Best of 2009: Gold. “Betty Branch: Artist Whose Work Takes Your Breath Away.”

Solo Exhibitions

1980 Figurative Sculpture. Cheek Gallery. Parthenon Museum. Nashville, Tennessee.

Ambiance Fine Art Gallery. Nashville, Tennessee.

1981 Betty Branch. Meredith Art Gallery. Virginia State University. Petersburg, Virginia.

Betty Branch, Sculptor. Kent Gallery. Radford University. Radford, Virginia.

1982 Betty Branch, Sculptor: An Exhibition of Portraits.Bridgewater College. Kline Campus Center. Bridgewater, Virginia.

1984 Warm Springs Gallery. Warm Springs, Virginia.

1985 Mothers. Painter’s Gallery. Virginia Western Community College.

1986 Performance piece Ritual Fire.Old Willis Quarry. Roanoke, Virginia.

1987 Performance piece Woman Wheel. Hollins College. Roanoke, Virginia.

1989 Works in Stone. Olin Hall. Roanoke College. Salem, Virginia.

1994 Sculpture by Betty Branch. duPont Gallery. Washington and Lee University. Lexington, Virginia.

1998 Betty Branch. Nelson Street Gallery. Lexington, Virginia.

Selected Group Exhibitions

1980 Kindred Works. Another Gallery. Roanoke, Virginia.

1981 The Real and the Surreal. Durham Arts Council Building. Durham, North Carolina.

1982 Tri-State Sculptor’s Guild Annual Members Exhibition.Gray Art Gallery. East Carolina University Museum of Art. Greenville, North Carolina.

Together: Works by Betty and Patrick Branch. Young Gallery. Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts. Roanoke, Virginia.

1983 Group Exhibit. Center Art Gallery. Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.

Tri-State Sculptors Guild. Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art. Greensboro, North Carolina.

1984 Group Exhibit. Center Art Gallery. Maui, Hawaii.

Tri-State Sculptor’s Guild. Gaston County Museum of Art and History. Dallas, North Carolina.

Mint Museum. Queens College. Charlotte, North Carolina.

1985 Art Expo (NY). Jacob Javitts Center. New York, New York.

16th National Juried Exhibition. Greensboro Artists’ League. Greensboro, North Carolina.

Focus International: American Women in Art. United Nations World Conference on Women. Nairobi, Kenya. Contributed a photo of Dragons Teeth to an American Album collection of art works from more than 300 American women artists. The album was part of an exhibit at the United Nations Conference on Women. Nairobi, Kenya.

Contemporary Sculpture by Virginia Artists.Portsmouth Museums. Fine Arts Gallery, Courthouse. Portsmouth, Virginia.

1985- Virginia Women Artists: Female Experience in Art.1986 Traveling Exhibit. Armory Gallery, Virginia Tech.

Blacksburg, Virginia. Portsmouth Community Arts Center Gallery; Piedmont Art Association; University of Richmond; Randolph-Macon College; Bluefield State University; Longwood College; Danville Museum; Reston Art Center; Shenandoah College and Conservatory.

1986 Gilpin House Gallery. Alexandria, Virginia.

ArtExpo. New York.Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

Asheville Art Museum. Asheville, North Carolina.

Southern Bronze. The Art Gallery, Belk Art Building. Western Carolina University. Cullowhee, North Carolina.

Contemporary Modes of Expression: VA/DC Artists. Marsh Gallery. University of Richmond. Richmond, Virginia.

St. John’s Museum. Wilmington, North Carolina.

1987 New Art Center. Washington, D.C.

Over the Blue Ridge II.Invitational, Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts. Roanoke, Virginia.

Tucker-Boatwright Exhibition. University of Richmond. Richmond, Virginia.

1990 Women and Children: Difficult Truths.Southern Seminary College. South Carolina.

1991 Hollins College Faculty Art Exhibit. Hollins College. Roanoke, Virginia.

1993 The Box: Remembering the Gift. Térma Company. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

1994 Sculpture: Art in the Round. Stanley Library Galleries. Ferrum College Fine Arts Division. Ferrum, Virginia.

1995 Sally Grace Branch and Betty Branch. Studios on the Square Gallery. Roanoke, Virginia.

1996 Women in the Visual Arts. Hollins College Art Gallery.Hollins College. Roanoke, Virginia.

1997 Contemporary American Art. Art Museum of Western Virginia. Roanoke, Virginia.

1998 Garden Poem: Off the Wall. Betty Branch and Mimi Babe Harris. E. Taylor Greer Art Gallery/ Stanley Library. Ferrum College. Ferrum, Virginia.

Silent Victims. Women Made Gallery. Illinois State Capitol. Springfield, Illinois.

Flight: Works by Leigh Ann Beavers, Betty Branch, and Liza Ryan. Hollins Art Gallery. Hollins University. Roanoke, Virginia.

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2000 Artemis 2000. Living Gallery. North Cross School. Roanoke, Virginia.

2002 69th Annual Awards Exhibition.National Sculpture Society. Juried Exhibition. New York, New York.

Crossing the Line. Philadelphia Sculptors and Tri-State Sculptors Guild. Moore College of Art and Design. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

2003 Sculpture Visions 2003.Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission. Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

2004 Three Virginia Artists.E.Taylor Greer Gallery. Ferrum College. Ferrum, Virginia.

Stallions, Ponies, and Unicorns. National Sculpture Society. New York, New York.

2005 The Sea. National Sculpture Society. Park Avenue Atrium. New York, New York.

2006 The 33rd Annual Juried Competition. Masur Museum of Art. Monroe, Louisiana.

National Sculpture Society, Juried Exhibition, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.

60th Annual Sculpture Exhibition.Pen and Brush Inc. New York, New York.

2007 Tri-State Sculptors. Washington Square. Washington, D.C.

Allied Artists of America: 94th Annual Exhibition. National Arts Club. New York, New York.

National Sculpture Society, Juried Exhibition, New York, New York.

2008 75th Annual Exhibition: National Sculpture Society.Juried Exhibition. National Sculpture Society. New York, New York.

Friends and Family. Eleanor D. Wilson Museum. Hollins University. Roanoke, Virginia.

2009 Five Branches: A Virginia Family of Artists. Olin and Smoyer Galleries. Roanoke College. Salem, Virginia.

Selected Collections and Commissions

Taubman Museum of Art. Roanoke, Virginia.Roanoke Public Library. Roanoke, Virginia.City of Roanoke, Virginia.Jefferson Center. Roanoke, Virginia.North Cross School. Roanoke, Virginia.Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge. Roanoke, Virginia.Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University.

Roanoke, Virginia.Radford University Art Museum. Radford, Virginia.City of Radford, Virginia.David Lipscomb College. Nashville, Tennessee.Brookgreen Gardens. Pawley’s Island, North Carolina.Pfeiffer College. Meisenheimer, South Carolina.Chapel Hill Public Library. Chapel Hill, North Carolina.SunTrust Bank. Roanoke, Virginia.American Infrastructure. Worcester, Pennsylvania.American Red Cross, Roanoke Headquarters.

Roanoke, Virginia.C&P Central Offices. Arlington, Virginia.Alabama Institute of the Deaf and the Blind.

Talladega, Alabama.

Selected Bibliography

“25th Annual Sidewalk Art Show.” In Focus: The Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts Sept. 1983.

Adkins, Sharon. “Sculpture Dedicated in Memory of Long-Time Radford Supporter.” Campus Currents 4 Nov. 1991.

Angell, Janis. “Forms Fascinate Roanoke Sculptor.” The News Journal 1 Nov. 1981.

“Art Guild Exhibits Works.” The Chapel Hill Newspaper 10 Mar. 1981.

“Art: Light, Space, and Freedom.” The Roanoker Nov. 1980.

“Betty Branch.” Brookgreen Journal XV.3 (1985).

“Betty Branch: Sculptor.” Center Art Gallery Magazine: Art Consultants to the World 1984.

“Betty Branch Sculpture Studio and Gallery.” The Roanoke Times 1 Dec. 2005.

“Betty Branch.” Virginia Women Artists: Female Experience in Art 1985.

Costanza, Nina. “Simplicity of Form: A Conversation Between Sculptor and Material.” Sculpture Review 2005

Cridlin, Jay. “Memorial.” The Roanoke Times

Cubby, James. “Sculptor Betty Branch.” Artists Interviews:16+

DeBell, Jeff. “Art Goes up in Flames.” Roanoke Times & World-News 29 Oct. 1986.

DeBell, Jeff. “Sculptor Finds Isolation in DowntownRoanoke.” Roanoke Times & World-News

“DLC Alum ‘Captures’ Collins.” The Tennessean 28 Sept. 1980.

Godfrey, Robert. “Display is a Retrospective of Southern Bronze Sculpture.” Asheville Citizen -Times7 Sept. 1986. sec, L.

Hieronymus, Clara. “Sculptor’s Work to be Dedicated.”The Tennessean 10 Oct. 1985.

Kennedy, Joe. “A Memorial that Speaks to Us All.” The Roanoke Times 2001.

Kennedy, Joe. “With 10 You Get Diversity.” Roanoke Times & World-News Wednesday Extra. 23 March. 1983.

Kittredge, Kevin. “Getting Their Due.” The Roanoke Times 18 May. 2000.

Kittredge, Kevin. “Taubman Museum of Art and Downtown Roanoke.” Roanoke Times Insert.30 Oct. 2008: 13+

Lugar, Norma. “The Good, the Bright, and the Beautiful.”The Roanoker XXIX.3/4 March/April. 2002.

Macy, Beth. “Sex, Death, and Whimsy in the Garden.” The Roanoke Times 24 July. 1997.

Martin, Kimberly. “Work of Art.” 17 Nov. 1994.

Merritt, Robert. “The Two Worlds of Women’s Art: Making Art or Making a Statement.” Richmond Times-Dispatch 13 Oct. 1985.

“Once Upon a Time.” The Roanoke Times 5 Dec. 1997.

Parsons, Laura. “Lyricism in Stone: Sculptor Betty Branch Shapes the Universal Frame.” Virginia Living (2007): 31

“Pursuing Realism.” International SculptureMarch/April 1986.

“Radford Bust.” The News Journal 18 July 1986. 102YEAR. No.142.

Salmon, Robin. Brookgreen Garden Sculpture II (1993)

Sculpture Review: A Publication of the National Sculpture SocietyLIV.3 (2005): 34-35

Shenandoah: The Washington and Lee University Review 51.4.(2001)

“Weekender Guide.” New York Times 4 April. 1986.

Weinstein, Ann. “One About Women, One by Women.”Roanoke Times & World-News 19 May 1985.

Weinstein, Ann. “Over the Blue Ridge II Is a Varied Tribute to Artists of Western Virginia.” Roanoke Times & World-News 26 July 1987.

Weinstein, Ann. “Symbols Abound in Burlap Mothers.”Roanoke Times & World-News 27 Jan. 1985.

Williams, Arthur. Sculpture: Technique, Form, Content (1994)

“Women in the News” Women Artists News 11.1 (1986): 42.

Woman of Power Magazine: A Magazine of Feminism, Spirituality, and Politics 6 (1987)

A RT I S T B IO G R A P HY

40

Acknowledgments

B E T T Y B R A NC H

All along the way there havebeen good and stalwart friendsin many lands who have given me their hearts and hands,

assisting and encouraging and teaching me what they knew and I did not. I am forever grateful.

I thank my beautiful big family,patient and loving, cheering me on and in many instancesparticipating in the making ofthe art. I am grateful for goodhealth and high energy and for the acres of woodland andgreen that keep me sane.

The artist Betty Branch and museum director Amy G. Moorefield profoundly thank the following individuals and organizations for their assistance in the exhibition and its publication:

Lenders:Ross and Beth Myers at American Infrastructure, Worcester, PASibyl and Bob FishburnThe private collection of Dr. Richard GraysonLarry and Sally MannJanice R. MooreCharlotte Orth and Kenneth J. ReckfordWalter and Sally RugaberVirginia Western Community CollegeShawn Ricci and Karen WaldronJ. David and Mary Ann Wine

Foundries:New Arts Foundry, Baltimore, MDBronze Craft Foundry, Waynesboro, VA

Photographers:Richard Boyd, Roanoke, VAAmy Nance-Pearman, Roanoke, VARichard Braaton, Roanoke, VAPolly Branch, Roanoke, VAKathryn Wetzel, Richmond, VASaba, Lucca, ItalyChannel 15 Productions, Blue Ridge Public TV, Roanoke, VA

Deborah McLeod, Guest EssayistJohn Anstey, David Hodge, and Sarah Henty of Anstey Hodge Beth Deel, upUpperiscope, myScoper, and a useful paperRob Humphreys and Mark KaryMichael Williams and MW Construction Company, Troutville, VAElizabeth Bolka, Worth Higgins and Associates, Richmond, VACaviness Welding, Roanoke, VARoanoke County Board of Supervisors, Roanoke, VA

Hollins University:Nancy Oliver Gray, President Jeanine Stewart, Vice President for Academic AffairsJean Holzinger, Executive Director of MarketingBrook Dickson, President’s OfficeCeleste Hampton Alumna in Residence FundEd Dolinger, Art lecturerJohn Forsman, Theatre Technical Director

Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University’s Staff and Interns:Janet Carty, Preparator and Collections CoordinatorLaura Jane Ramsburg, Exhibition and Program CoordinatorKaryn McAden, Museum CoordinatorZachary Zuro, Visitor Services and Operations Coordinator Stephanie Vrobel, Curatorial InternTiffany Robinette, Curatorial Intern

T H E E L E A N O R D . W I L S O N M U S E U M