Carrie Betlyn-Eder
"My work grows out of an inherent instinct to scavenge and my fascination with connections, literal and imagined."
Each object, organic or inorganic, has an intrinsic beauty; its original function, shape, colour, and texture has meaning. My relationship to the objects and the ideas they engender form the basis for my constructions. The sculptures have within them both the literal interpretation of the elements and my conception of them as material for my narratives, which explore the interaction of nature, science and history, personal desire and limitations, and our relationship to mind, body and gender, family and spirit.
I am fascinated by process, any process: how a simple thought or image can develop into an undertaking or belief, how all things organic evolve and decay over time, while other things barely fade and seemingly last forever. The disparate objects I collect, organic or manmade, each one individually processed by machines, the environment, the course of time and ultimately me. They begin life as something useful or decorative, then are discarded or left to decay. At some point I stop their course, to include them in a concept or story I choose to explore.
Papier maché techniques offer me another form of sculpture more malleable than assemblage. Creating a sculpture “from scratch” and learning to “paint” with torn bits of paper or flower petals and glue has expanded my practice into new directions. The tactile aspect is very compelling and I am still reusing whatever materials are at hand.
Classically trained as a performing artist, including a stint with the Saratoga Ballet Company and an Acting MFA from the Goodman School of Drama, dance and drama defined my artistic life for years. I claim a visual art aesthetic as my birthright, learning from my mother, a painter and mixed media artist, and at Guildhall Galleries in Chicago. My grandparents gallery of mid 20th century European and local Chicago art was the source of my early fine arts education and inspiration. Whatever form my art has taken over the years, composition and narrative are essential to the work regardless of the discipline.
I spent ten wonderful years as a member of Images Gallery Cooperative in Chicago, participating in numerous group exhibitions, salons and workshops, including two solo shows "Arrangements" (2009) and “Processed” (2013). My work has been exhibited in galleries including the Brooklyn Waterfront Art Center, NY, ARC Gallery, the Bridgeport and Hyde Park Art Centers in Chicago, Flow Art Space and Artista Bottega in St. Paul MN, the Glen Arbor and Oliver Arts Arts Centers in Leelanau, MI and Grey Cube Gallery’s online space.
As a teaching artist my workshop, “Art Is Where You Find It,” involves participants of all ages and abilities in the process of imagining and creating art from what is immediately at hand.
exhibitions
2024 TRANSFIGURATION, Oliver Art Center (group show) - Frankfort, MI
2024 TIMES2, Crooked Tree Art Center (juried show) - Traverse City, MI
2024 FORM+FUNCTION, Oliver Art Center (group show) - Frankfort, MI
2023 IN TRANSLATION, Glen Arbor Arts Center (juried) - Glen Arbor, MI
2023 WATER, Grey Cube Gallery (juried - Honorable Mention) - On-line exhibit
2023 MOTLEY CRUISE, ARC Gallery (juried) - Chicago, IL
2017 RECYCLE 2017, Brooklyn Waterfront Art Center (juried) - Brooklyn, NY
2016 CAUSE & EFFECT, Flow Art Space (juried) - St. Paul, MN
2015 ARTISTA BOTTEGA Gallery - St. Paul, MN
2014 ANNUAL ART COMPETITION, Bridgeport Art Gallery (juried) - Chicago, IL
2013 PROCESSED, Images Cooperative Gallery (solo exhibit) - Chicago, IL
2013 REGENERATION, Images Gallery Cooperative (group show) - Chicago, IL
2013 APPROACHING 40, ARC Gallery (group show) - Chicago, IL
2012 ANNUAL ART COMPETITION, Bridgeport Art Gallery (juried) - Chicago, IL
2012 COLLATERAL ASSEMBLAGE, Images Gallery Cooperative (group show) - Chicago, IL
2011 VOICES & VISIONS, The Art Center of Highland Park (juried) - Highland Pk, IL
2011 MINING CONNECTIONS, Images Gallery Cooperative (group show) - Chicago, IL
2010 MATERIALITY, ARC Gallery (juried) - Chicago, IL
2010 ARTFUTURA, Portal Gallery, Ltd. (juried) - Chicago, IL
2010 OFF THE GRID, Images Gallery Cooperative (group show) Chicago, IL
2009 ARRANGEMENTS, Images Cooperative Gallery (solo exhibit) Chicago, IL
2009 PIXCELL, Images Gallery Cooperative (group show) Chicago, IL
2009 3 DROPS OF WATER, Images Gallery Cooperative (group show) Chicago, IL
2008 SUBJECT: SUSTAINABILITY, Images Cooperative Gallery (group show) Chicago, IL
2007 IMAG*N, Images Cooperative Gallery (group show) Chicago, IL
2006 WAYPOINTS, Images Cooperative Gallery (group show) Chicago, IL
2005 TIES, Images Cooperative Gallery (group show) Chicago, IL
1998 TEACHING ARTISTS, Hyde Park Art Center (group show) Chicago, IL
1995 EVE ALFILE GALLERY & BOUTIQUE (invited artist) Evanston, IL
