Bettye Stull can't seem to stay retired.
She has tried twice, yet she remains a fixture at the King Arts Complex and on the Columbus arts scene in general.
Stull, who turns 80 today, has curated exhibits and opened the eyes of children to the joys of creativity since the 1950s. She knew many of the artists and performers - Elijah Pierce, Hank Marr, Rusty Bryant - whose work is celebrated at the complex. And she has forged connections that make her a walking catalog of artistic resources.
"I don't think there's anybody in the city who does it better than she does," said Sheryle Powell, executive director of the complex.
Stull works as a curatorial consultant at the complex, pulling together shows such as the recently departed "Jazz Quilts" and the "COMnGRAF 3" exhibit on graffiti and hip-hop art that opened June 4. (It was an idea from nephew Rob Stull, a comic-book artist who lives in Boston.)
Her extensive connections in the world of art, and African-American art in particular, have enabled her to plan ambitious exhibits that attract top artists.
"I just hold up my hand and say, 'Help,' and I've had artists come and do these wonderful exhibitions," Stull said.
She was born in Wheeling, W.Va. Both her parents had died by the time she was 6, so she was raised largely by her grandparents. At age 17, she moved to Columbus to live with a great-aunt on Atcheson Street - not far from where the complex was eventually built on Mount Vernon Avenue.
Stull, a jewelry-maker who has exhibited her work, has been interested in art since grade school. (The unusual spelling of her first name came from a teacher who said she was too special to spell it the regular way.)
She went on to work as an arts specialist and later an administrative coordinator for the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department in 1956. She worked frequently with children, a subject that comes up often when she discusses her career.
In 1971, she married Robert Stull, a ceramic artist who would go on to become chairman of the Art Department at Ohio State University and later a dean. Stull credits her husband, who died in 1994, with providing her an entry into the wider art world.
"We traveled a lot to art institutions, to universities. I learned a lot and met a lot of artists."
Stull retired from Recreation and Parks in 1986 after 30 years. But she went back to work almost immediately, administering a youth program at Broad Street Presbyterian Church.
"That was a good program," she said. "It prepared the kids for jobs, and I would bring in speakers to help them with their self-esteem."
She went to work for the King Arts Complex when it opened in 1987, creating many educational and cultural programs.
Stull also had a hand in the creation of a permanent exhibit celebrating the history and culture of Mount Vernon Avenue, a center of black community life in the early to mid-20th century. It was home to her, too, and she can speak of personal acquaintances with people such as Pierce, the woodcarver with a national reputation.
"We never called him Elijah," she said. "He was always Mr. Pierce."
Her second retirement came in 2004. But, again, Stull didn't stop working. She returned to the complex in her current role as a consultant. In 2005, she curated "Columbus Collects," an exhibit of works from 12 collectors.
She is an expert on black artists and black history. Among the exhibits she has curated are "Roots and Legacies," featuring the work of 17 deceased Columbus artists (many of whom she knew) and "Echoes of Our Ancestors," featuring rising and established black artists.
"She's very knowledgeable," said art broker David Barker, who has worked with her on exhibits. "She lives it and sleeps it."
Stull said what keeps her involved is her belief in the power of art to educate and motivate, particularly children.
"When they come here, they know very little about African art or about art period. To be able to see how they grow, I think that's a highlight. ... A young lady told me that the experience here was the most memorable experience she'd ever had."
Such testimonials are particularly significant to her because she has no children of her own.
"And so I think that's why it's all so important to me that I've had all of these thousands of children that I've worked with over the years. ... I love what I do."
It's reflected in how she works, said Dennison Griffith, president of the Columbus College of Art & Design and a longtime friend.
"She's neck-deep in empathy for other people, and she's been around the block long enough that she can afford to consider herself really accomplished. You just want to hug her. In fact, I do hug her every time I see her. You just cannot."
Because her parents died young, and she lost a brother when he was in his 30s, Stull never expected a long life, she said. But she's been given one and intends to keep making the most of it. If there's a third retirement looming, she isn't saying so.
"I go off a board and someone will have another board. And I'll say, 'No, I won't do it.' But, of course, I do."
