The work of Lee Benson, professor of fine arts and chairman of the art department at Union University, will be on display in the Troy Plunk Art Gallery at Freed-Hardeman University March 29-April 27. The opening reception for “Immortality, 10,000 Years” is set for April 3, 5-7 p.m.
The show consists of sculptural works in clay and installation works. Benson characterizes his typical artistic ventures as “large-scale architectural forms as well as figurative, narrative monoliths.” At 4 p.m. prior to the show’s opening reception, he conduct a guest lecture that will cover his work, what it means to be a practicing artist, and practical advice for art students.
An East Tennessee native, Benson attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Art, a Bachelor of Science in Art Education and a Master of Fine Art. He is in his sixteenth year at Union University.
Freed-Hardeman University art educator Laquita Thomson describes Union University as, “Freed’s sister school in the arts.” She has consulted Benson on technical issues of clay and firing, and the schools regularly attend each other’s art exhibitions.
Benson was awarded The Watermarks Project, a commission to tell the story of historic Nashville in 2010, and was one of four international artists to receive the 2010 Ephemeral and Site Specific sculpture prizes in Sydney, Australia. He maintains two studios and his work is shown throughout the South and Northeast. This is his second show at Freed-Hardeman.