Rachel Betterley was born March 2, 1991, in the river town city of Hastings, Minnesota. At a young age, Rachel was gifted in the arts. "I was always holding a pencil." She recalls. "I was the daydreaming, artsy kid constantly drawing new worlds, people, and realities." But while her talents earned a full scholarship to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Summer Program at the early age of sixteen, art-making was more than fun. It was a coping mechanism and outlet in the face of trauma. Having been a victim of childhood sexual abuse, she developed a deep-rooted passion for art education and helping children and families who need its creative healing benefits the most.
"I knew I always wanted to help struggling children. As a visual arts educator, I can blend mentorship, art, and therapy to help someone express any struggles they might be facing. We don't talk enough about the mental health benefits of art. It's my goal to change that." She confirms.
Art therapy and choice-making approaches to her teaching philosophy create a new standard for visual arts education. And successes for her students have reached recognition. Since 2014, her students have been routinely awarded the Region 7A Minnesota State High School League's "best in show" distinction in the categories of ceramics, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, and printmaking. It it through this passion for education that led her to being selected as a top 11 finalist for 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.
To learn more about her teaching approach, click here. Statewide, she has appeared on Fox 9, alongside numerous local news networks for her change-making art education philosophies and art advocacy. Nationwide, she has filmed with Dick Clark Productions and Good Morning America, alongside representing Minnesota live on ABC for the iconic 95th anniversary Miss America Competition.
In 2013, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in art education at the University of Minnesota Duluth and later received a master's of art education at Boston University. In addition to urban and rural teaching experiences, She taught internationally at Danila Kumar School in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Currently, she is serving her 11th year teaching high school art in northern Minnesota and is the reigning Mrs. Petite USA.
It's through a continuation of public figure work where she is focusing on child sexual abuse awareness and family healing through the arts. "I didn't understand the full extent of my trauma until I later married and my two children were born." She affirms. The goal of Art Heals is to educate and share how art can be used as a source of healing for mental health struggles and trauma. "Your thoughts and feelings deserve to be recognized and validated. When you're a kid, you don't always know how to voice it. So, they can say it through their art. That's their voice, and it matters. Families coming together through the arts is a vital component to the mental wellness and healing across the world." With this message, she shares her story as a member of the speaker's bureau for RAINN and wants to encourage other victims to speak their truth by telling their story to those that need to hear it most.
A unique component to her service initiative is with a personal project, Sketchbooks for Kids, where sketchbook sets are donated to school counselors, social works, and foster care organizations across the nation in an effort to provide a positive creative outlet for youth who might lack the resources to purchase themselves. To learn more and donate, follow @sketchbooksforkids on Instagram. Through the Petite USA organization, Rachel has been able to partner with other female leaders to increase the outreach of sketchbook set donations. So far, supplies have been donated to youth in 20+ states and 4 countries. Her goal is to donate 2,000 sketchbook sets to youth across the world.
Another component to the Art Heals movement is to also shine a light on unique artists from across the country and encourage creative expression. She hosts an inclusive Instagram Live series called "Creative Conversations" to build that message and educate her followers about the many diverse ways people go about using creativity to thrive in life. You can follow her on Instagram, @rachelbetterley to stay up to date on her latest endeavors, philanthropy with the Mrs. Petite USA title, and "Creative Conversations" series.
To stay up to date with Rachel's endeavors, you can follow her on Facebook and Instagram. To schedule a media interview or appearance click here.
"I knew I always wanted to help struggling children. As a visual arts educator, I can blend mentorship, art, and therapy to help someone express any struggles they might be facing. We don't talk enough about the mental health benefits of art. It's my goal to change that." She confirms.
Art therapy and choice-making approaches to her teaching philosophy create a new standard for visual arts education. And successes for her students have reached recognition. Since 2014, her students have been routinely awarded the Region 7A Minnesota State High School League's "best in show" distinction in the categories of ceramics, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, and printmaking. It it through this passion for education that led her to being selected as a top 11 finalist for 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.
To learn more about her teaching approach, click here. Statewide, she has appeared on Fox 9, alongside numerous local news networks for her change-making art education philosophies and art advocacy. Nationwide, she has filmed with Dick Clark Productions and Good Morning America, alongside representing Minnesota live on ABC for the iconic 95th anniversary Miss America Competition.
In 2013, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in art education at the University of Minnesota Duluth and later received a master's of art education at Boston University. In addition to urban and rural teaching experiences, She taught internationally at Danila Kumar School in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Currently, she is serving her 11th year teaching high school art in northern Minnesota and is the reigning Mrs. Petite USA.
It's through a continuation of public figure work where she is focusing on child sexual abuse awareness and family healing through the arts. "I didn't understand the full extent of my trauma until I later married and my two children were born." She affirms. The goal of Art Heals is to educate and share how art can be used as a source of healing for mental health struggles and trauma. "Your thoughts and feelings deserve to be recognized and validated. When you're a kid, you don't always know how to voice it. So, they can say it through their art. That's their voice, and it matters. Families coming together through the arts is a vital component to the mental wellness and healing across the world." With this message, she shares her story as a member of the speaker's bureau for RAINN and wants to encourage other victims to speak their truth by telling their story to those that need to hear it most.
A unique component to her service initiative is with a personal project, Sketchbooks for Kids, where sketchbook sets are donated to school counselors, social works, and foster care organizations across the nation in an effort to provide a positive creative outlet for youth who might lack the resources to purchase themselves. To learn more and donate, follow @sketchbooksforkids on Instagram. Through the Petite USA organization, Rachel has been able to partner with other female leaders to increase the outreach of sketchbook set donations. So far, supplies have been donated to youth in 20+ states and 4 countries. Her goal is to donate 2,000 sketchbook sets to youth across the world.
Another component to the Art Heals movement is to also shine a light on unique artists from across the country and encourage creative expression. She hosts an inclusive Instagram Live series called "Creative Conversations" to build that message and educate her followers about the many diverse ways people go about using creativity to thrive in life. You can follow her on Instagram, @rachelbetterley to stay up to date on her latest endeavors, philanthropy with the Mrs. Petite USA title, and "Creative Conversations" series.
To stay up to date with Rachel's endeavors, you can follow her on Facebook and Instagram. To schedule a media interview or appearance click here.
Public Figure Quick Facts:
- Currently serving as Mrs. Petite USA with the Petite USA Organization
- Served as Mrs. Minnesota America 2022 under the Mrs. America Organization
- Empty Bowls Food Shelf Fundraiser Coordinator
- Member of the speaker's bureau for RAINN
- Served as Miss Minnesota 2015 under the Miss America Organization
- State Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals
- Anti-Bullying Awareness Presenter for Minnesota Public Schools
- Zandolee Media Brand Ambassador
- Twin Ports Dermatology Brand Influencer
- Free Arts Mentor
- YouthCARE Mentor
- Community Mural Artist
- Pottery Artist
- Seen nationally on ABC, Good Morning America and statewide on Fox 9, WDIO, Channel 12, Sun Post, Star Tribune, Marc Defang NY fashion show, and numerous local radio stations.
Favorite Charity:
One of her favorite forms of service work is through a project called "Empty Bowls." The ultimate goal is for students to explore how their creative talents can impact the world. The Empty Bowls Projects is a global, grassroots effort to end hunger. Every year, she and her students make hundreds of ceramic bowls and sell soup meals to the community to raise money for rural food banks. Over $25,000 has been raised to date.