"The making of beautiful objects for special and important functions signifies the celebration of ritual and the honouring of culture."
Elizabeth Etherington Betteridge
Lois Betteridge is an award-winning goldsmith and silversmith and is one of Canada’s first female silversmiths. Her work focuses on the connections of our feelings to the world around us. Each piece speaks to us through its use in rituals or celebrations, both private and formal. She began working in silver because it was just the right metal for her. If she couldn’t find the form she wanted, it allowed her to change direction.
Betteridge has been a major figure in the Canadian studio craft movement (one-of-a-kind designs rather than mass produced pieces and the introduction of craft programs in post-secondary schools rather than apprenticeships) - since its inception in the 1950s. She has been referred to as the first modern Canadian silversmith to attain international stature in the studio craft movement.
In 1978, Lois Betteridge became the second recipient of the annual Saidye Bronfman Award, Canada’s foremost national award for fine craft. In 1997, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honour, bestowed for a lifetime of distinguished service to the community. In 2010, her impact in the metalsmithing community was recognized when she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.
Selected works
