| Betty Spindler | |
| Birth Place: | Long Beach, California |
| Nationality: | American |
| Field: | Ceramic art |
| Works: | Hot Dog |
Betty Spindler (born 1943) is an American ceramist, known for her ceramic renditions of fruits, vegetables, and other foods through clay, newspaper, and vibrant colors.[1]
Born in Long Beach, California in 1943, Spindler struggled with learning disabilities as a child, getting diagnosed with dyslexia a few years later.[2] [3] She began her art career with classes at Sherman E. Burroughs High School, but did not immediately continue with her college education. She married and started a family.
Spindler resumed her formal art education in 1979, with classes at Cerro Coso Community College where she began to focus on ceramics.[4] She graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in 1986.[2] She then attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990 at the age of 47.[2] [3]
While Spindler's ceramics work started as a hobby, she slowly parlayed this into a professional career. Her most prominent work, the 2000 sculpture Hot Dog, is on permanent display in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[5] [1] Other works of hers are included in the permanent collections of the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California, and the Winfield Gallery in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.[6]
Spindler has frequently spoken to students on her experiences in overcoming learning disabilities. In 2012, she served as a Distinguished Speaker for her alma mater Cerro Coso Community College's commencement exercises. She has also served as a trustee for Kern Community College District and the California Association of Community Colleges and served on the Governor of California's Commission for Disabled Students.[3]
She currently resides in Ridge Crest, California.[7]