Suzanne Benton, Neighbor

I’m a printmaker, painter, metal sculptor, mask maker/performance artist, lecturer, and workshop leader who has been exploring history, the cultures of the world, mythology, ritual, and the great archetypes as inspiration for my artwork for over 60 years. My multi-faceted work has carried me worldwide to 31 countries to research, create and present my work. Venues stretch from New York City to villages in remote parts of Africa, India, and Nepal, as well as erudite philosophy and education portals from Kolkata to Cambridge.

For the past three years, I’ve been recasting images from the artworks (200+) Marcel Proust referenced throughout his lengthy novel within my own prints and paintings. By placing the past in a contemporary framework, the intention is to enliven both spheres. As ever, travel lured me onward, to Paris museums in the summer of 2014 to see the paintings; to Rome and Assisi (artist residency Studio Ginistrelle) for inspiration in Giotto’s frescos in late Fall; and to museums and collections in London, Prague and Berlin, June/July 2014.

A former Fulbright Scholar (India), the recipient of many grants, artist residencies and numerous hostings by the cultural arm of U. S. Embassies, I’ve traveled worldwide since 1976 while maintaining a home/studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut for 50 years. Beyond exhibiting widely (200+ solo exhibitions and representation in museum and private collections worldwide), I’m the author of The Art of Welded Sculpture and numerous articles, am listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Art, Who’s Who in the World, and Feminists Who Changed America 1963-1975, and the Fulbright Specialist Roster 2011-2015.