EDUCATION
2025 (PROJECTED) MFA: Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2019 BFA in Studio Art: Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2013 Core 40/Academic Honors Degree
Bloomington High School South, Bloomington, IN
WORK HISTORY
2023 Studio Technician – Haystack Open Studio Residency
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, MN
Associate Instructor – 2022-2024
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2022 Framer and Part-Time Manager – 2019-2022
Michael’s Craft Store, Bloomington, IN
2019 Instructor Assistant – Enamels with Kathy Wilcox
Arrowmont School of Craft, Gatlinburg, TN
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2023 Juror – The Little Things
Tangent Gallery, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
MFAO Social Media Chair – Master of Fine Arts Organization
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2022 Emerging Artist Presenter
SNAG 2022 Conference, Convention Center, Providence, RI
2020 Apprenticeship – Yosuke Inoue
Nirasaki, Japan, Yamanashi Prefecture
2019 Metals Guild President
Indiana University Metals Guild, Bloomington, IN
2018 Summer Studio Assistant
Arrowmont School of Craft, Gatlinburg, TN
Studio Technician
Indiana University Metals Department, Bloomington, IN
Metals Guild Treasurer
Indiana University Metals Guild, Bloomington, IN
2017 Summer Studio Assistant
Arrowmont School of Craft, Gatlinburg, TN
2016 Summer Educational Assistant
Arrowmont School of Craft, Gatlinburg, TN
2015 Summer Educational Assistant
Arrowmont School of Craft, Gatlinburg, TN
HONORS AND AWARDS
2022 Genia and Max Tanner Scholarship – $2000
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2018 George W. Sterns Scholarship – $1000
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Windgate Fellowship Nominee
The Center for Craft, Asheville, NC
College of Arts and Sciences Executive Dean’s List
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2017 Alma Eikerman Award – $1000
Holiday Art Awards, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
College of Arts and Sciences Executive Dean’s List
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2016 Pygmalion’s Art Supplies Award – $500
Holiday Art Awards, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2015 Dean Purchase Award
Juried Student Art Exhibition, Morlan Gallery, Transylvania University, Lexington KY
RESIDENCIES
2020 BJC 3 Month Emerging Artist Residency
Baltimore Jewelry Center, Baltimore, MD
2019 Inaugural Spring Pentaculum
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
EXHIBITIONS
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 Prismatic Playground – End of Residency Exhibition
Baltimore Jewelry Center, Baltimore, MD
INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS
2023 Plus One – Invited by: Jen Wells
Romanian Jewelry Week, National Library of Romania, Bucharest, Romania
ECU Pride Exhibition – Invited by: Haley McElroy
Proctor-Yongue House, Greenville, NC
2023 Shared Past, Divergent Futures – Invited by: Sishi Wang
ECU Symposium, Emerge Gallery, Greenville, NC
2022 Metal Shop Revamp – Invited by: Shane Prada
Baltimore Jewelry Center, Baltimore, MD
Plus One – Invited by: Aimee Petkus
Romanian Jewelry Week, National Library of Romania, Bucharest, Romania
Diamonds on the Soles of their Shoes – Invited by: Aimee Petkus
New York Jewelry Week, NYCJW Headquarters, New York, NY
2019 2nd Anniversary Celebration – Invited by: Abbey Hunter
The Hot Spot Metals Studio, Grand Rapids, MI
JURIED EXHIBITIONS
2023 Adorn Axis: Truth or Dare – Jurors: Ayala Naphtali and Debra Adelson
New York Jewelry Week, Brooklyn, NY
The Little Things – Jurors: Emmie Tallman and Ben Cooke-Akaiwa
Tangent Gallery, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
SNAG Student Exhibition – Jurors: SULO BEE and Rachel Saul Rearick
Online Exhibition, Society of North American Goldsmiths
NSAL 2023 Visual Arts Competition + Exhibition – Jurors: Robert Kingsley and Suzanne Halvorsen
FAR Center for Contemporary Arts, Bloomington, IN
2022 Material Alchemy: Metal and Color – Curators: Jeremy Taran Diamond, Shaunia Grant, Katie McCullough, and Lilly McEachern
Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, Athens, GA
2021 Adorn Axis: Outside the Lines – Jurors: Ayala Naphtali and Debra Adelson
Monique Rancourt Artisan Gallery, Waltham, MA
Dream Machine – Jurors: Sylvie Alusitz, Betsy Lewis, and Kate Dannenberg
Industry City, New York, NY
Ware/Wear – Jurors: Tanya Crane and Candice Methe
Pocosin Arts, Columbia, NC
2020 Metal and Mud – Jurors: Aimee Howard-Clinger and Joe Page
Edwardsville Art Center, Edwardsville, IL
2020 Disrupt – Curator: Clarissa Long
CCBC Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Talente 2020 – Jurors: Tulga Beyerle, Susanne Jøker Johnsen, Christelle Le Dean, Chequita Nahar, Lars Sture, Michal Vaníček, and Nele van Wieringen
International Trade Fair, Munich, Germany
Small Favors – Juror: Leila Cartier
The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2019 Marzee International Graduate Show 2019 – Juror: Marie-José van den Hout
Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, Netherlands
2018 Here Today – Jurors: SNAG Exhibition Planning Committee
Online Exhibition, WE ARE SNAG Annual Series
2018 The 96th Annual All Media Exhibition – Juror: Sarah Rose Sharp
The Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI
Form Forge Fabricate – Juror: Tobias Birgersson
SIUC Museum 2018 SIMS Conference, Carbondale, IL
SNAG Student Exhibition – Jurors: SNAG Exhibition Planning Committee
2018 SNAG Conference, Portland, OR
Online Student Exhibition – Jurors: Enamelist Society Exhibition Committee
Online Exhibition, The Enamelist Society
NSAL 2018 Emerging Artists Show – Juror: Robert Kingsley
Ivy Tech John Waldron Art Center, Bloomington, IN
2017 NSAL 2017 Emerging Artists Show – Juror: Robert Kingsley
Ivy Tech John Waldron Art Center, Bloomington, IN
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022 We Are SNAG Anthology Ed. 2
Society of North American Goldsmiths Website
Where it Started: First Year MFA Exhibition
Tangent Gallery, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2019 Ruminations – BFA Thesis
Grunwald Gallery, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2018 BFA Group Show
Grunwald Gallery, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2017 Lineage as Legacy
Ivy Tech John Waldron Art Center, Bloomington, IN
BFA Group Show
Grunwald Gallery, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
GALLERY REPRESENTATION
2023 Arrowmont Showcase Gallery – Since 2016
Gatlinburg, TN
2023 Baltimore Jewelry Center – Since 2020
Baltimore, MD
Gallery 360 – Since 2021
Minneapolis, MN
Ombre Gallery – Since 2021
Cincinnati, OH
Lireille Gallery – Since 2021
Oakland, CA
2022 Quirk Gallery
Richmond, VA
2021 The Hot Spot
Grand Rapids, MI
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
UNIVERSITY COURSES
2024 Metalsmithing + Jewelry Design I – Fall 23 and Spring 24
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Introductory Course for exploring metalworking and jewelry design as a serious form of creative expression. Focuses on the basic techniques of piercing metals, sheet metal construction, surface embellishment, mechanical joining, wire forming and introduction to chain making, metal patination, and soldering.
2023 Pathways: Intro to Art, Design, and Merchandising – Fall 22 and Spring 23
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
The SOAD A-100 Intro to Art, Design, and Merchandising course introduces the area of study within the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture, and Design: Studio Art, Interior Design, Comprehensive Design, Fashion Design, and Merchandising. A-100 hopes to uncover the ideas, questions, and values that bring us together in this school by exploring the intersections and interactions of our chosen fields. Through faculty lectures, guest speakers, class discussions and exercises, we examine how various themes, topics, and current events impact art, design, and merchandising, as well as how these areas shape us both culturally and individually.
WORKSHOPS
2023 Hollow Containers: Full of Fabrication –
Metalwerx, Waltham, MA
A short virtual workshop. Ben will walk you through how to make a lidded cylindrical box, that can house all manner of personal items and treasures. If you are someone who is intimidated by fabricating hollow forms with larger solder seams, this is the workshop for you. Students will be guided through a step-by-step approach to this intermediate fabrication technique. Students who participate in this workshop will walk away with new expanded skills they can apply towards numerous jewelry and metalworking avenues.
2023 When Enamel Met Steel –
Metalwerx, Waltham, MA
This demo-focused virtual workshop is suitable for enamellist of all levels and will cover the do's, don’ts, and overall approach of enameling on steel. The ferrous metal (containing or consisting of iron) steel behaves very differently from its non-ferrous counterparts (traditionally used for the enameling process) and this technique can therefore be intimidating to approach but opens up a wide array of options for enamelists.
CTRL, ALT, SET –
Metalwerx, Waltham, MA
In this virtual course students will be instructed on alternative prong and bezel setting techniques. Through video demonstrations and in-progress updates throughout the course, students will walk away with a set of skills they can expand upon in the future and adapt to their work.
Score… and Bend! –
Metalwerx, Waltham, MA
Scoring and bending is an easy way to add volume to sheet metal and an invaluable technique in the metalsmith’s arsenal! This demo-focused virtual workshop is an introductory course that will cover the essential tips and tricks behind the process of scoring and bending for the purpose of creating dimension with sheet metal. Over two days Ben will demonstrate basic tool making and step by step applications for this technique.
2022 Score… and Bend! –
Metalwerx, Waltham, MA
Dimensional Metal –
Baltimore Jewelry Center, Baltimore, MD
Sheet metal is a staple in the jewelry and metals field. In this weekend workshop we will cover easy and effective techniques to add volume to sheet metal to take full advantage of the 3 dimensional quality of this material. We will go over scoring and bending, die forming, and hydraulic forming. Students will also learn how to make the necessary hand tools for the techniques that require them. Each technique serves a different aesthetic purpose that students will be able to incorporate into their current work.
PUBLICITY
2022 British Vogue
April Issue: Platinum Queen
British Vogue
May Issue: Fashion Fantasy
British Vogue
June Issue: Supermodel Summer
2019 JaMS
Second Annual SNAG Jewelry and Metals Survey