Fantastical World by Betsy Youngquist

Artist list

Betsy Youngquist

Fantastical World leads us on a wondrous journey through the whimsical and the avant-garde, where fairy tales and myths are not mere fictions but windows into hidden truths, whispered through the fabric of dreams. They speak of beasts and beings, of worlds we are taught to dismiss. Yet perhaps these places are not imagined at all, but real, layered over our own, threaded through the unseen seams of existence.

A caribou goddess wears the delicate face of a doll; a dragon unfurls with antique glass eyes; a rat gleams under layers of antique beaded purse fragments. Each sculpture is a crossroads of myth and memory, stitching together fragments of story that deepen both the work and the viewer’s journey through it.
Venture into the spellbinding realm of Betsy Youngquist, where beads become skin and found objects awaken in a fantastical world.

About the artist
Born in Illinois, Youngquist channels mystery and imagination with relentless force. A magna cum laude graduate of North Park University in Chicago, she quickly sensed that the traditional frameworks of fine art couldn’t fully contain her evolving vision. Even as a student she was layering foil into her watercolors to satisfy an instinct for depth and sparkle. She turned to beads—then dismissed as mere craft-store fare—to sculpt pieces that transcended their humble origins.
Youngquist’s art fuses spirit and matter, weaving new dimensions where myth and reality intertwine. Each sculpture is a vessel for layered narratives, drawing the viewer into a dance between the familiar and the fantastical, the human and the surreal.


Opening: Friday, June 6, with a reception and a chance to meet the artist from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.⁠

Opening hours:
Monday to Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm.