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Description of Work:
Custom ornamental metal work. Functional art for businesses and homes, from dramatic stair railings to forged tables, decorative planters, mirrors, sculptures and more.
Date Business Established: 1996
Company History:
Jeff Benson, owner of Benson Designs, LLC, started building in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area in 1984. He installed solar heating systems, remodeled homes and built new homes. His interests focused on functional art during the 1990’s, and his passion for blacksmithing emerged in 1996. Knowing all the different phases of construction helps Benson anticipate what will happen in a new design. He comfortably works with other trades on complex projects with his greatest pleasure coming from custom work. He listens carefully to clients, researches styles and comes up with insightful, bold designs. He naturally combines different media, like metal, stone, glass and wood, constantly experimenting with new techniques to achieve unforgettable results.
Member:
- Art Studio Tour Committee - Current Member, Past Chair
- newARTS (Northeast Wisconsin Arts Council), Past Board Member
- UMBA (Upper Midwest Blacksmith Association), Ex Officio and Contributing Author
- NEWWG (Northeast WI Woodworkers Guild), Past Officer
- ABANA (Artist Blacksmith Association of North America), Member
- GOM (Guild of Metalsmiths), Member
Achievements:
- 2009 - Einstein Project requested a one-of-a-kind butterfly for their Butterflies & Friends on Parade fundraising event.
- 2008 - Multiple projects included the book, "Ironwork Today 2," published by Schiffer Publishing. Einstein Project requested a one-of-a-kind crane for their Butterflies & Friends on Parade event.
- 2007 - Featured at the Home Expo, sponsored by the Brown County Home Builders Association.
- 2006 - Dragonfly design selected by the Einstein Project for expansion of their fundraising event.
- 2005 – Appointed to NEWArts (Northeastern Wisconsin Arts Council) Board.
- 2004 – Featured demonstrator at grand opening of historic Galena Illinois Blacksmith Shop.
- 2003 - Einstein Project – Chosen to design and coordinate the fabrication of 35 three-foot tall aluminum butterflies. Green Bay area artists decorated the butterflies and they were mounted all around downtown Green Bay. After several months, they were auctioned off, raising over $50,000. The program also won the Mayor’s Beautification Award for Green Bay.
- 2002 – TV Channel 26 aired a special titled, "A Modern Master," a TV investigative portrait of Jeff Benson’s blacksmithing work.
- 2001 - NEWAC chose Jeff's design, "Dancing with Light" for a public art forged metal sculpture for the city of Green Bay. The 13-foot-tall, 1000-pound sculpture graced the River Walk along the Fox River.
Ongoing:
Benson hosts "hammerins" in the winter at his shop to encourage others to take up blacksmithing. He demonstrates at Green Bay/s Art Street to the delight of tens of thousands of visitors. Since 2001, he has chaired or participated in the Art Studio Tour Committee, which organizes an annual event where artists of different media open their personal workshops for the public to see how their work is done.
Studied at:
Ozark School of Blacksmithing, Potosi, MO
University of WI, Eau Claire
Redwing Area Vocational Technical Institute
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