Betty Raphael
After this, Betty became involved in a community action program and opened a daycare center in the 1960s. Eventually she opened a small craft store in Verona, PA called The Store for Arts and Crafts and People-Made Things. Here she showcased local and national artists throughout the 70s and early 80s through exhibitions. Betty bought all the crafts for The Store, either from the artists directly or from traveling trade shows, where they were later sold. Through advertisements and word of mouth The Store became popular and allowed new and emerging artists to display their works. In 1973 the "Sociable Workshop" rose out of The Store and this allowed disadvantaged community members to take craft making classes.
Working with professional artists, the crafts produced ended up being sold in The Store and was a way to bring the community together while promoting arts and crafts. The Store eventually evolved into what is now known today as The Society for Contemporary Craft (SCC). Without Betty Raphael's passion for art and courage to bring modern art to an area that most wouldn't associate with new art at the time, the arts and crafts movement of the 70s would have been vastly different. Not only did she help bring attention to artists who were just starting their careers, she also promoted the arts and crafts in a way that hadn't been done before. She may have been ahead of her time, but her dedication shines through to this day and Contemporary Craft proudly continues the work she started at a time when many said she should quit.
This SCALAR project focuses on the artists who were a major part of Betty Raphael's exhibitions and the incredible work that they contributed to the arts and crafts movement in the 1970s.