Jessica L . Benjamin, MFA
Adjunct Assistant Professor
My imagination was trained in the irrigations ditches on the 100th Meridian and I am one of the last be educated in a two room schoolhouse. My father, Howdy, began teaching me about land management, geographical history, and farm markets as soon as I could handle a shovel: age 5. I now live in the city and have gained a balanced perspective on our nation’s water and drought issues. My artwork is a direct reflection of these experiences and is also based on scientific date.
I received my B.A from Hastings College in 2001 and worked as a studio assistant for Jun Kaneko until 2006. In 2008, I received my M.F.A from Bowling Green State University, Ohio. I returned to Omaha the same year to pursue my research and to acquire affordable studio space, in which I could continue to make large-scale ceramic sculpture.
I have exhibited my artwork at the Joslyn Art Museum, Museum of Nebraska Art, the Great Plains Art Museum, and private galleries in the midwest. In 2013, the Nebraska Arts Council awarded me an Individual Artist Fellowship Grant. My artwork has been published in
Ceramics Monthly, Clay Times, NY Arts Magazine, Lark Crafts: The Best of 500 Ceramics, 500 Ceramic Sculptures, and in
Sculpture Magazine.Teaching Interests
- Large Scale Ceramic Sculpture
Research Focus
Water, drought, Great Plains region, Ogallala Aquifer, agriculture.Department
Fine & Performing Arts
Position
Adjunct Assistant Professor