Betty Branch: A Retrospective

This comprehensive look at the expansive career of beloved local artist Betty Branch is drawn from the Taubman Museum of Art’s permanent collection, private collectors, and the artist herself, examining the evolution of Branch’s artwork and processes.

Betty Branch began her art career in her mid-forties, receiving both her BA and MA in Studio Art from Hollins University. During her studies she discovered that, while she was adept at painting and drawing, sculpture was her primary passion. Branch’s output is prolific, and she has created hundreds of artworks over the last four decades ranging in scale from palm-sized fetishes to monumental public sculptures.

This exhibition will follow the trajectory of Branch’s career, focusing not only on her exploration of female form, rites of passage, and personal experiences metaphorically portrayed, but on her mastery of a wide array of additive and reductive sculpture in stone, bronze, fiber, ceramic, terracotta, and earthenware. Branch’s rich history will be featured through a large installation of a portion of her studio including sketches, maquettes, tools, clippings, and inspirational objects produced and collected throughout her career, providing an intimate peek into the brilliant mind of Betty Branch.