Betty Spindler
Betty Spindler is an American ceramist, known for her ceramic renditions of fruits, vegetables, and other foods.
Born in Long Beach, California in 1943, Spindler struggled with learning disabilities as a child, later diagnosed as dyslexia. She began her art career with classes at Sherman E. Burroughs High School, but did not continue to college, instead marrying and starting a family.
Spindler resumed her formal art education in 1979, with classes at Cerro Coso Community College. She focused on ceramic sculpture, graduating with an Associate of Arts degree in 1986. She then attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990, at the age of 47.
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. 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.
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.
