Betty Scarpino

Betty Scarpino (born 1949) is an American wood sculptor active in Indianapolis, Indiana. She received the Windgate International Turning Exchange Resident Fellowship two times - once in 1999 and another in 2016 - making her the second person in the residency's history to be chosen twice. In 2020, she was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Member from the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) for her contributions to the advancement of woodturning.

Early life In 1949, Scarpino was born in Wenatchee, Washington. She attended high school in Kalispell, Montana. In 1999, Scarpino was named as one of the six Windgate International Turning Exchange Resident Fellows that year. In that same year she was awarded the Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship by the Indy Arts Council and Lilly Endowment Inc. She was a columnist for the Woodworker’s Journal from 2005 to 2008, when she left Woodworker’s Journal to become the editor of American Woodturner in 2009. From August 11 - November 10, 2013, Scarpino's work was on display in the Indianapolis International Airport in Concourse B. In 2015, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Collectors of Wood Art (CWA). From April 5 - June 1, 2019, her work was a part of the 87th annual juried exhibit of Indiana artists at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. In May 2022, her work was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution for “This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World” exhibit. From September 2 to December 27, 2022, Scarpino's work was exhibited at the American Association of Woodturners Annual Member Exhibition, Bridging the Gap: The Craft and Art of Woodturning in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Collections Scarpino's work is held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.