Lois Etherington Betteridge passed away at the age of 91 on February 21, 2020. Lois was a long-time SNAG member and supporter and the recipient of SNAG’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
Lois attended Ontario College of Art for one year and then received her BFA from the University of Kansas in 1951. She established her own studios in Oakville and then Toronto, Canada until she began graduate studies at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. She received her MFA in 1956 and moved to MacDonald Institute in Guelph to teach craft and design. Lois created work and taught for 67 years.
She received the Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in Crafts and election to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1978. Her work is found in private and public collections throughout the world. Canadian metalwork and awareness of the field were greatly influenced by Lois. An exhibition of work in 2000 resulted in the informal group called “The Metal Collective”: peers, students and students-of-students of Lois, who continue to exhibit and are carrying the discipline into the future.
SNAG extends its condolences to all of Lois’ family and friends.
You can read more about Lois’ work and life in this online obituary.
