Text by Tony DiMartino • Styled by Kathy Curotto

Betsy Nimock was born during the Great Depression. There wasn't much money for extras like toys, but that didn't bother her and her four older brothers. "Our mother was an artist who taught us to make our own fun," she says. "If I got a stain on my dress, she'd embroider a flower over it. We'd put on shows where we'd sew the puppets, paint the scenery, and write all the music."
  Years later, Betsy is still making her own fun. Her award-winning narrative collages, composed of antique quilt fragments, women's needlework, vintage clothing, old photographs, and other ephemera, have been widely exhibited here and in Europe. " I love to find women's handwork and show it as art."
  Along with her quilt-based collages, the St. Louis-based artist is best known for her flag series, prints of 48-star flags embellished with student photos from a 1920s teacher's album and children's penmanship lessons from the `30s. "The National Institution for Moral Instruction in Washington, D.C., used to provide character-building lessons for kids to copy while practicing their penmanship," Betsy explains. "I found six of these lessons in an antiques shop that used to be a schoolhouse and was inspired to use them in my work."

(a) Betsy recently left a shared loft space for a home studio. "I combined the family room and dining room with part of the garage." (b) "I'm inspired by the dreams and aspirations of those who came to this country before us." A 13-star banner from the `30s decorated with tiny flags and a flea-market photo.

Originally published in the June/July 2005 issue

Dream Americana page 1 | 2
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