Freeman was a long-standing supporter of contemporary music, with grants and commissions to various American composers early in their careers.
Philip Glass,
Steve Reich,
John Adams,
Anders Hillborg,
Pierre Boulez,
Harrison Birtwistle,
Virgil Thomson,
Helmut Lachenmann, and
Kaija Saariaho. John Cage dedicated his
Freeman Etudes to her (although she did not commission them), Lou Harrison dedicated his
Serenade for Betty Freeman and Franco Assetto to Freeman and her husband, Steve Reich dedicated
Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards (1979) and
Vermont Counterpoint (1982) to her, and John Adams's opera
Nixon in China (1985–87) was dedicated to her. The
American gamelan Si Betty, built by Harrison and
William Colvig in 1979, was named for Freeman. Bequeathed by Harrison to long-time collaborator and composer
Jody Diamond, it has been housed at
Harvard University since 2007. She began a series of musicales at her Beverly Hills residence in 1981, which continued until just after the death of her second husband. Freeman financed a 1973 documentary film about the composer and instrument builder
Harry Partch,
The Dreamer That Remains. She subsequently developed an interest in photography. She wrote books about the American artists
Clyfford Still and
Sam Francis. She was also an art collector, and the subject of
David Hockney's painting
Beverly Hills Housewife. == Personal life ==