• Hey! •
I’m Ben, a native New Yorker and lifelong artist - whose purpose is to foster creativity, observation, technique, and joy in young artists! I connect deeply with children and teens, and I am fulfilled by helping them gain the skills they need to achieve their creative visions.

• My Arts Education •
I earned my BFA in studio art from Wesleyan University, and studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London. My undergraduate coursework included sculpture, printmaking, drawing, architecture, and art history. Additionally, I have studied backstrap weaving and natural dyeing at the Apulaya Center in Peru, and studied quilting, loom weaving, machine knitting, and bioplastic embellishment at the Textile Arts Center. I have also had apprenticeships at machine embroidery studio Arena Embroidery, and silkscreen printing studio LQQK.

• My Teaching Experience •
I currently teach the full gamut of fiber arts to children ages 5-14 in my current role as a Youth Instructor at the Textile Arts Center. My previous teaching background is wide-ranging - I’ve guided children in South Africa in an global artistic story exchange program with nonprofit ArtWorks For Youth; I’ve coached young emerging musicians around the world through their early creative development with music startup Boomy; I’ve helped design a silkscreen printing curriculum for incarcerated people in Colombia with nonprofit Casa Tres Patios; and I’ve instructed university students in digital art, 3D-design, and laser cutting at Wesleyan University.

• My Educational Philosophy •
As a teacher, I have immense respect for my students’ ideas - I believe it’s critical to form personal relationships with my students, to understand them as humans and learners, and to duly tailor the curriculum to best fit their needs. I see visual arts as a medium to foster observational and ideational skills that students will carry with them everywhere. I aim to imbue my students with cultural appreciation, observational eyes, and a creative mindset that will aid them in whatever they choose to pursue. I have extensive experience working with contemporary art technologies, and I believe in keeping students on the cutting edge of creativity, while fostering a reverence for cultural context and legacies of craft. I also believe it is paramount to cultivate a safe space for personal expression, where students feel they can be their most vulnerable, open, and creative selves - and to prioritize joy throughout the learning process.