Bottner began as a painter. Designing off-Broadway sets led her to performance. As an actor, she worked with Sam Shepard in the downtown troupe Theater Genesis. She was a member of Ellen Stewart's troupe La Mama Plexus,Random House with whom she toured Europe, appeared in London's West End, and played in New York City and colleges around the US. Bottner was the subject of the short film Time and No Time by Rita Stafford.
