Ben began teaching at the Creative Workshop in Spring, 2018 and remembers taking classes with John Kastner when he was a child. That class and other experiences fed his creativity and led to a long journey in the arts. Ben earned his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Illustration from the Cleveland Institute of Art and his Master’s Degree in Art Education from Nazareth College. He is currently completing his next degree in American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreting at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT/NTID). At the workshop, Ben is as a teaching artist with a specialty in drawing, cartooning, and sculpture for children and teens.
Ben’s classes focus on communication and storytelling through a lens of the fantastic and whimsical. Among the ways, Ben communicates with students is through his ongoing study of American Sign Language, of which he is conversant. He believes the exploration of materials, techniques, and imagination are central to developing young artists. Ben will often be seen giving interactive demos allowing students to become fully immersed in the process of creation.