Nicholas Benson

Nicholas Benson, photograph by Scott Lapham.

Nicholas Benson, photograph by Scott Lapham.

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

Base64, 2, 2016 V-cut Buckingham, Virginia cleft slate, 19 x 18 x 3/4 in.

Base64, 2, 2016
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:

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.


About The Author
NetWorks Rhode Island - 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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