Betty Kovacic Art.- Betty Kovacic's Bio

Betty Kovacic, who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the
University of Victoria in 1983, works from her birth place
Prince George , B.C.

Kovacic's interest in the human condition informs the content of
most of her work. As the daughter of a Yugoslavian woman who
survived the Nazi concentration camps, she has always been aware
of the dichotomy of human nature. Her work has dealt with
numerous topics including war, homeless children, violence, abuse
of women and children, the sex trade, and the ecology. Through
her art she has also examined the complexities, both positive and
negative, of human relationships. The last five years have
seen her focus her art on a major project concerning the multitude
of issues surrounding the missing women of British Columbia .

Symbols such as animals, plants, or images from past and present
cultural belief systems are used to add multiple possibilities of meaning.
Subtle details, ambiguous images and unexpected juxtaposition of materials and objects provide a richness of visual intrigue... an invitation for closer examination... or thought... for feeling. Like the layers of life, her work cannot be decoded or understood with a quick glance.

The expression of her unique vision has received acclaim since the 80's when her art was selected year after year for the prestigious provincial exhibitions Images and Objects and Artworks . In 1997 her painting The Land and Dreams won an award of excellence at an inter -provincial exhibition. Her millennium project Legacies received provincial recognition when the British Columbia 2000 Community Spirit awarded her a materials grant. The turn of the millennium saw Kovacic's project awarded two more prestigious grants, one from the Historica Foundation in a national completion. In 2001, Kovacic was further honoured with the B.C. Interior, North and Yukon 's Today's Women Award for community enrichment. She received the Jean Clarke Historical Award in 2002, and was inducted into the Prince George Community Art Council's Gallery Of Honour in 2005, receiving the first Alice Box Memorial Award for both her work with children, and her dedication to the arts. In 2006 and 2007, the importance of her project A Roomful Of Missing Women , was acknowledged when it received several grants, including one from the Vancouver Foundation and the Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation, the Hamber Foundation, and Integris Credit Union.

Always active in the community, Kovacic has worked as an independent art instructor for 17 years. She is in demand as a workshop facilitator here and in other B.C communities. She also teaches several courses for the university transfer/ Art Diploma program at the College Of New Caledonia .

Betty Kovacic's art can be found in numerous private and corporate collections in Canada , the United States and Europe .