Artist and Librarian, 1910-2002

Tribute from Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre

Betty Crawford (1910 - 2002), was an exceptional artist whose works are well known throughout Southwestern Ontario, gracing the walls of the Woodstock, London and Hamilton Art Galleries, as well as those of many private collections. Betty, who signed her work "C. B. Crawford," began painting in watercolour at the age of 10, and she later experimented with acrylic paints and printmaking techniques, yet she always returned to watercolour because of its immediacy. Betty preferred to work out of doors, drawing her inspiration from what she saw around her; watercolour allowed her to capture the moment. First educated in Ingersoll, and later taking Classical Studies at the University of Toronto, Betty had a short-lived carreer as a school teacher in the 1930s. She abandoned teaching because she found it to be overly structured, and admittedly fell into a job as a librarian for the Town of Ingersoll -- a job she kept from 1941 until her retirement, in 1972. Betty's dislike of structure and need for freedom is a common theme that ran throughout her life; Betty once tried creating a painting studio in her home from which to work, but found that it was too confining, as she much preferred to work outside. Betty was a pivotal figure within the Ingersoll artistic community. While she was still a librarian, she held art classes in the basement of the library, and started the Ingersoll Sketch Club in order to encourage artistic development within the community. In 1964 she was awarded the Town of Ingersoll's first Citizen of the Year Award. Her dream of bringing together artists from all disciplines was realized in 1972, with the inception of the Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre, of which Betty was a founding member. During this time, Betty referred to her role within the artistic community as a maternal one, telling the Sentinel Review in 1986 that "I don't know what you'd say my role was. I never really taught. I helped keep the group together." However, those who were involved in the community at the time know that Betty played a far more important role than she was willing to admit. In 1975, Betty was awarded the Thomas J. Morrison Award by the Recreational Services Committee, for her role in helping to form the Ingersoll art community. Betty's dedication to the Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre, despite her increasing age, never waned, nor did her capacity to create wonderful works of art. In 1997, the Creative Arts Centre thanked her with the King and Barbara Newell Award, recognizing Betty's significant contribution to the Centre. Betty is fondly remembered and dearly missed by all.