The Writer’s Center is pleased to host an exhibition works by artist Betsy Packard, on display in the Center’s Joram Piatigorsky Gallery, October 1–November 4, 2026.

Opening reception is FREE & open to the public. RSVP below.

Artist’s Statement

I often respond to words on a page—words that I can see—more easily than I do the spoken word.

The pieces exhibited here are a selection of works from 1978 to the present—where books, words, letters, and sometimes just the hint of a word or the shape of a letter, play a part.

I have used books as material, to make new objects, i.e., “The Bhaghavad Gita—As it Is,” (given to me at an airport, reduced to pulp here).

In the 80s and 90s I attempted to make changes in my life with my art.

Both in the act of creating the work, and later meditating on the finished work—I hoped that the power of the words would transform my situation: positive words and phrases, prayers and affirmations. Writing them out was the point. Artistry, composition, and craftsmanship were of little importance. This idea came from several sources, self help programs, and from Colin Wilson’s book “The Occult,” which I found in my neighbor’s trash. Think of the god as any benevolent force.

Finding value in anti-consumerism, beauty in a thrift mentality, and making objects with what I already have or is what is given to me are recurring themes. I play with and manipulate these items that come to me without effort. In recent years, used clothing has become a primary material.