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Julia Betts’ work veers toward the intersection of sculpture, performance, and installation; and is defined by a series of radically disparate multimedia projects unified by their intentional unpredictability, use of unstable materials, and orchestration of situations in which her body and/or a constructed space are subjected to various hazards and forces of disorder. With each piece, the intent—although never completely pre-determined — is to push a range of materials to the limits of their utility, while placing herself in precarious circumstances that simultaneously function as metaphors of emotional/psychic vulnerability and pure demonstrations of intentional disarray. Generally, she makes a mess — but it’s a purposeful, highly textured mess. 

Betts’ work has been featured nationally, including solo exhibitions at Unsmoke Systems (Pittsburgh, PA) and DDDD Pictures (New York, NY) and group exhibitions at Flux Factory (New York, NY) and Space Gallery (Pittsburgh, PA). Betts has been awarded residencies such as Yaddo, Millay Colony for the Arts, and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.  She was highlighted in “Women of the Rustbelt,” part of the 50 Women Project, which highlighted American women artists working outside New York City. Her work has also appeared in publications such as BOMB Magazine, Two Coats of Paint, and Femme Art Review. Betts received a BA in Studio Arts from the University of Pittsburgh (2014) and an MFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design (2017).

_{Image: “The Dams are Broken,” acrylic paint and rubber, 2024}