“Architectural models propose structures for an idealized world, but the actual world is one not only of creation but of destruction . Would a model of a ruin offer any insight into the real world in a way that architectural models do not? This thought was the starting point for this series of ‘Bank Failures’ - models of ruins. I chose banks as emblematic of widespread public trust, and I selected five actual structures that existed at one time pristinely in the imagination, making models of what they became as a result of war, neglect, or urban planning.”

Betsy Williams received her undergraduate degree at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She apprenticed with potter, Yutaka Ohashi, in Japan, for four and a half years before returning to New Mexico to set up her own studio. The pieces in this show are a departure from her usual work of making pots for everyday use.