NetWorks Rhode Island and the Chazan Collection Exhibition, WaterFire Arts Center (2024) Bio:
For the past decade Benson has continued to carry on the rarified craft of letter carving as well as exploring a new thread of artistically expressive and intellectual work that examines the scientific and informational languages of the digital age, and the tremendous amount of knowledge that is broadening our understanding of the universe. In this age of mass media and onslaught of information Benson uses his age old craft as a symbol of human history and sets it in conflict with the transitory nature of digital information.
Original NetWorks Catalogue Bio:
Nicholas Benson, at the age of 15, began an apprenticeship at The John Stevens Shop with his father, John Benson. This shop in Newport, RI, founded in 1705, specializes in the design and execution of one-of-a-kind inscriptions in stone. Architectural and memorial lettering is generated by hand with a broad-edged brush in the manner of the great Roman inscriptions, and then carved into stone with mallets and chisels. Benson studied art at State University of New York, Purchase, followed by a year of calligraphy, type design and typography at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel, Switzerland. At the helm of the business since 1993, Benson expands the traditional arts of hand lettering and stone carving through his designs. He has produced typefaces for large civic projects, including the National World War II Memorial and Maya Lin’s The Meeting Room, in Newport. Benson has received many awards including the MacArthur Fellowship in 2012.
Source: NetWorks 2015 – 2016 Catalogue
V-cut Buckingham, Virginia cleft slate, 19 x 18 x 3/4 in.
Credits:
Video by: Richard Goulis
MLK Memorial Photography by: Scott Abelman
WWII Memorial Photography by: Richard Layoff
Executive Producer: Joseph A. Chazan, M.D.
Additional Resources:
- The John Stevens Shop
- Follow @nixbenson on Instagram
Highlighting the work of selected artists who have played vital roles in shaping the contemporary visual arts community in Rhode Island. This collection of brief video portraits provides a window into the lives, practices, and cultural contributions of professional artists.
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