Julia Betts

Exhibition: The Dams are Broken

Date: Sept 3 - September 27, 2025

During her residency at Akron Soul Train, Julia will further develop The Dams are Broken, an installation inspired by themes of containment, release, and bodily boundaries. Community participation will play a central role, with Akron residents invited to contribute by having belongings in their homes photographed or submitting virtual photographs of objects. These images will inform Julia's process of creating vibrant, abstract paintings by manipulating watery acrylics on saran wrap, breaking black rubber paste outlines, and mounting the resulting works onto plywood cutouts.

Julia Betts is an Ohio-based artist working at the intersection of sculpture, performance, and installation. Her work has been exhibited nationally, including solo shows at Unsmoke Systems (Pittsburgh, PA) and DDDD Pictures (New York, NY), and group exhibitions at Flux Factory (New York, NY) and Space Gallery (Pittsburgh, PA). A recipient of prestigious residencies such as Yaddo, the Millay Colony for the Arts, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Betts was featured in Women of the Rustbelt as part of the 50 Women Project. Her art has appeared in BOMB Magazine, Two Coats of Paint, and Femme Art Review. She holds a BA in Studio Arts from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University.