Elizabeth Bentley “Guthrie” Foster (1913-1999) was born in Watertown, South Dakota. Foster graduated from South High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1929. Elizabeth “Guthrie” Foster earned her Bachelor of Science degree in 1933 from the University of Minnesota, and was a member of Delta Phi Delta, then received a Master of Arts in Education from Columbia University in 1941. Her career in art education began in Wisconsin, where she taught at Kemper Hall in Kenosha (1933-1937). She went on to serve as a docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1940-1941) and later teach at the University of Alabama (1939-1943), where she met her husband, Edward Foster, who would become a professor at Georgia Tech.

After relocating to Atlanta in 1943, Foster continued her work in art education as an art teacher at Girls High School from 1943-1948 in Atlanta and an art therapist at the Howard School from 1950-1958. She joined the Atlanta College of Art in 1958. When she was appointed director of the institution, she was the first woman to hold the position. Her subsequent roles included Director of Admissions from 1963–1970, Assistant Dean from 1970–1975, Dean of Students from 1975–1981, and finally, Dean Emeritus in 1981. Foster also taught an introductory course for docents at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta from 1969-1974.

In recognition of her contributions, Foster was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1981 and an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in 1995, both from the Atlanta College of Art. A practicing artist herself, her weaving work was exhibited at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition (1964–1965). She also served as a judge in numerous art exhibitions. Her art was in collections at DeKalb College, Northside Hospital, Peachtree Road Methodist Church, and the Trust Company of Georgia.

Foster’s honors include being named Woman of the Year in Arts in 1960 and becoming the first female life member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design in 1981. Beyond her contributions to arts education, she was active in mental health advocacy. She founded the Georgia Association of Mental Health in 1950 and served on the boards of the Atlanta Mental Association from 1950–1957, the Art Therapy Association of Atlanta from 1971–1975, the Atlanta Urban League from 1956–1974, the Signature Shop of Atlanta, Jay Hambridge Art Foundation and the Arts Festival of Atlanta. Other memberships include Georgia Council for the Arts, College Art Association of Atlanta, and the Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild. Foster was the founder of the Georgia Designer Craftsmen.