Betsy Bauman is a teacher and artist whose love of fabric, drama and history led her to the theatre and a career as a costume designer. She brings her knowledge of fashion history and sewing construction together with her sense of color, line, and shape to help the actors tell a story that will express something universal about what it means to be human. These are the same things that draw her to working as a quilt artist. “I am inspired by the history and tradition of quilting, and I collect antique quilts to study and to enjoy. This respect for the past is the springboard for the quilts I make. Although I use the same basic structure as quilters from the past, I am not trying to decorate a bed or provide warmth, but rather I seek to tell a story or express an idea. My quilts are playful and whimsical, and I think viewers will see my theatrical background in them, as well.” Betsy began making quilts in 2000, and since then her quilts have been juried into national exhibitions such as the American Quilter’s Society shows at Paducah, Lancaster, and Grand Rapids, Quilt Odyssey in Hershey, PA, as well as shows in Vermont and Indiana, and locally at Lake Farm Park, the Rocky River Reflections of Nature Shows, and Mutton Hill in Akron. She also lectures on Quilt History and other quilt-related topics. Bauman serves as Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts at Hiram College, where she has been teaching since 1998. She holds an M.F.A. in Design from Kent State University, an M.A. in Theatre from The University of Akron, and a B.A. in Theatre from SUNY Brockport.