ABOUT MJ BENSON
“ I begin with the horizon, its ever steady line of delineation between the spaces of land, sky, sea.
In between are layers and layers of light and color, sprung from my memory but unbound by realism.
I use a framework, a few rules of composition or color, but it’s the tension between what I expect and what the piece is saying that dictates the flow and finish. I work, and wait, until the profound shifting between place and memory stills itself harmoniously.”
SELECTED EXHIBITS
Kennebunk River Club Invitational Exhibition, August 2023
State of Maine Employees Exhibition - Maine State House - July - October 2023
Collect - Maine College of Art & Design - July 2023
Taking Up Space, Experiments in the Studio - Thrive Together Network- May 2023
Living Systems - Fluid & Fragile - Governor’s Academy, MA - April - May 2023
Portland Art Gallery - Featured Artist - November 2022
Taking Up Space - experiments, online - May 2022
Stay At Home Gallery Warmth Exhibit - Paris, TN - January-March 2022
Archipelago Gallery - Recent Works - Rockland, ME - October 2021 - February 2022
Brush With Nature, Maine Audubon Society, Plein Air Event and Auction, September 2021
Maine State House - Recent Work - Augusta, ME - September 2021-February 2022 (solo)
3S Art Space - Transitions & Meditations - Portsmouth, NH, July 2-August 22, 2021
Portland Art Gallery - Featured Artist - 2/2018, 3/2019, 11/2020
Boxed Art Gallery, Tufts University - June 2020
Down East Magazine Art of Giving Gala, Featured Artist - 2017/2018
The Francis, Maine - Recent Works - August-December 2018 (solo)
Cape Elizabeth Land Trust Paint for Preservation - 2017/2018
Maine Home & Design Magazine - Ones to Watch - December 2017
School of the Museum of Fine Arts Art Sale - Medici Artist - 2015-2020 (painting)
Yarmouth Art Festival, Yarmouth, ME - October 2016 & 2017
Townsend Art Gallery - Summer 2017 (solo)
Engine Gallery Rumpus Show, Biddeford, ME - February-March 2017
AWARDS
Maine Arts Commission, Project Grant, 2022
Maine Arts Good Idea Grant, 2007
EDUCATION
Harvard University - EdM, 2000 (Arts in Education)
School of the Museum of Fine Art/Tufts University - BFA, 1995 (Photography)
Courses - Haystack Mountain School (Drawing, Pastels, Blacksmithing), Maine College of Art (Painting)
In between are layers and layers of light and color, sprung from my memory but unbound by realism.
I use a framework, a few rules of composition or color, but it’s the tension between what I expect and what the piece is saying that dictates the flow and finish. I work, and wait, until the profound shifting between place and memory stills itself harmoniously.”
SELECTED EXHIBITS
Kennebunk River Club Invitational Exhibition, August 2023
State of Maine Employees Exhibition - Maine State House - July - October 2023
Collect - Maine College of Art & Design - July 2023
Taking Up Space, Experiments in the Studio - Thrive Together Network- May 2023
Living Systems - Fluid & Fragile - Governor’s Academy, MA - April - May 2023
Portland Art Gallery - Featured Artist - November 2022
Taking Up Space - experiments, online - May 2022
Stay At Home Gallery Warmth Exhibit - Paris, TN - January-March 2022
Archipelago Gallery - Recent Works - Rockland, ME - October 2021 - February 2022
Brush With Nature, Maine Audubon Society, Plein Air Event and Auction, September 2021
Maine State House - Recent Work - Augusta, ME - September 2021-February 2022 (solo)
3S Art Space - Transitions & Meditations - Portsmouth, NH, July 2-August 22, 2021
Portland Art Gallery - Featured Artist - 2/2018, 3/2019, 11/2020
Boxed Art Gallery, Tufts University - June 2020
Down East Magazine Art of Giving Gala, Featured Artist - 2017/2018
The Francis, Maine - Recent Works - August-December 2018 (solo)
Cape Elizabeth Land Trust Paint for Preservation - 2017/2018
Maine Home & Design Magazine - Ones to Watch - December 2017
School of the Museum of Fine Arts Art Sale - Medici Artist - 2015-2020 (painting)
Yarmouth Art Festival, Yarmouth, ME - October 2016 & 2017
Townsend Art Gallery - Summer 2017 (solo)
Engine Gallery Rumpus Show, Biddeford, ME - February-March 2017
AWARDS
Maine Arts Commission, Project Grant, 2022
Maine Arts Good Idea Grant, 2007
EDUCATION
Harvard University - EdM, 2000 (Arts in Education)
School of the Museum of Fine Art/Tufts University - BFA, 1995 (Photography)
Courses - Haystack Mountain School (Drawing, Pastels, Blacksmithing), Maine College of Art (Painting)
