.1400 installation @ triplecandie.org, Washington DC 2025

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For nearly 50 years, DC-area artist Betsy Packard has transformed the substances enveloping her life into art. She has made paintings from dryer lint; sewn tapestries with used clothes and hair clippings; and cast plaster sculptures from food cartons, wine bottles, and children’s toys. One might be tempted to describe her work as diaristic, if it wasn’t for knowing nods to the history of art: constructivism. Surrealism, Pop Art, Nouveau Realism, Fluxus, Feminist Art, and more.

Triple Candie identifies with many aspects of her work. We respect her frugality and resourcefulness. We love how she makes the commonplace strange. If we had a larger space, we’d celebrate her career with a long-overdue retrospective—a seven-course meal, if you will. What we offer instead is merely an amuse-bouche—a mere taste, works ranging from the 1980s to the present. Please take a little time to savor and digest her unique vision.

Peter Nesbett and Shelly Bancroft , co-curators       

.1394 2025

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Hair, string, rice bags. 30″x 22″. Collection of the artist.

I finally assembled these last woven fragments that have been in the studio for a long time.

I first used hair in my work in the mid to late 70s. For years, I saved hair from the haircuts I did, and used it in different ways. Galleries were reluctant to show hair work till somewhat later.