Joan Benefiel
Joan Benefiel creates figures in plaster or clay, from which a mold is made. The casting is then done in resin. The translucent result is a dynamic figure which can be placed indoors or out as the resin contains a UV inhibitor.
Both Benefiel and her husband received their MFA degrees in Sculpture at the New York Academy of Art; New York, NY. Joan also studied Figure Drawing, Architectural Drawing and Anatomical Sculpture Studies. She is also a certified teacher. Jeremy earned his BFA in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.
Recent commissions include prototyping and production of the NFL Coach of the year award, conferred at the Superbowl, installation at the Hudson River Park in NY, of translucent resin figure sculptures as well as installing 30 of the pilings/sculptures between 36th and 40th Streets in New York in 2011. The artists were awarded commission to sculpt and cast a life size pair of bronze figures for the Fairfield University campus.
Benefiel and Leichman have had recent press with The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The New York Times and New England Home Magazine.
EDUCATION
2007 New York Academy of Art, MFA
EXHIBITIONS
2022
Artscape 6 Public Art Exhibition; Fayetteville, NC
18th Annual City of Olathe Downtown Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit; Olathe, KS
Winner of national search to create Dakota Wesleyan’s new campus sculpture to honor the women of Wesleyan, past/present/future; Mitchell, SD
El Paseo Sculpture Exhibition; Palm Desert, CA
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts; Appalachian State University Campus, Boone, NC
Sculpture on the Move; Gladstone, MO
2021
El Paseo Sculpture Exhibition; Palm Desert, CA
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts; Appalachian State University Campus, Boone, NC
Sculpture on the Move; Gladstone, MO
2019-2020
El Paseo Sculpture Exhibition; Palm Desert, CA
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts; Appalachian State University Campus, Boone, NC
Sculpture on the Move; Gladstone, MO
Sculpture Walk Springfield; Springfield, MO
Art on the Streets, Downtown Colorado Springs, CO
2017-2018
Pikes Peak Community College; Colorado Springs, CO; acquisition of “Breathe” for permanent campus display; gift of the Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation
Sotheby's Take Home A Nude Auction and New York Academy of Art Benefit; acquisition of “Seaglass Coulée, Study no. 1” to benefit the New York Academy of Art
Art in Public Places; Knoxville, TN; acquisition of “In Stride” for permanent display in the McGhee Tyson Airport sculpture garden
Art on the Streets, Downtown Colorado Springs, CO
Rover Art Show; Starr Space Gallery; Brooklyn, NY
Sculpture Walk Springfield; Springfield, MO
Art Encounters Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Highlands Ranch; Douglas County, CO
2016
Art on the Streets, Downtown Colorado Springs, CO
Art Encounters Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Highlands Ranch; Douglas County, CO
Sculpture Walk Springfield; Springfield, MO
Art Around Town, Public Art Commission; Carbondale, CO
The Arnot Art Museum 75th Regional Juried Exhibition; Elmira, NY
St. Joseph Sculpture Walk; St. Joseph, MO
Rover 2016 Art Show; Starr Space Gallery; Brooklyn, NY
Art on the Lawn Outdoor Sculpture Installation; Rye Arts Center; Rye, NY
2015
Cast In Light: Landscape Reflections solo exhibition; Rye Town Park; Rye, NY
Approaching the Figure Art Exhibition; Studio Shop Gallery; Burlingame, CA
National Museum of Women in the Arts – The Showcase Collection of Small Works; Washington D.C.
Treasures from the Vault; Island Weiss Gallery; New York, NY
Selected as New York’s Figure50.com’s represented artist
Brooklyn Fire Proof Gallery group show for Bushwick Open Studios; Brooklyn, NY
2014
Public art installation & solo sculpture exhibition at Distrikt Hotel, sponsored by the Garment District Arts Program; New York, NY
Holiday House Art & Design Exhibition; New York, NY
ArtHamptons Contemporary Art Fair at Nova’s Ark Sculpture Park; Bridgehampton, NY
"Breathe" Large-Scale Sculpture Engineering & Production, sponsored by Smooth-on, Inc; Brooklyn, NY
DOCUMENTARIES
Creating a Large Resin Sculpture, A Documentary by Smooth-on, Inc., documenting the creation of Joan Benefiel’s 10-foot tall “Breathe” sculpture at her studio, Figuration LLC, in Brooklyn, NY
In His Image, a documentary by Fairfield University documenting the creation of Examen Statues by artist team Joan Benefiel & Jeremy Leichman
SELECT PRESS
2017
Fox News; New Statue installed on Pikes Peak Community College downtown campus
The Gazette; Pikes Peak Community College Foundation acquires Art on the Streets Sculpture
2015
The Rye Record; The Landscape Just Got A Lot More Interesting
2014
Art Business News; listed as one of the Top Emerging Artists for 2014
2012
The New York Times; The Human Form Unleashed
2011
The Wall Street Journal; Figurations: The Fashion Center Pilings Project
The New York Post; Fashionably Nude Sculptures
2010
The Architect’s Newspaper Blog; Full Steam Ahead
www. Artnet.com; Hudson River Pilings Project Maquettes
2009
Flavorwire Exclusive, NYC Sculptor Joan Benefiel’s Hudson River Pilings Project
Brooklyn Modern; Brooklyn Sculptor Unveils The Hudson River Pilings Project
Continental Breakfast; New NYC Temporary Art Installation: Hudson River Pilings Project
Cool Hunting; Hudson River Pilings Project Review
HOW Journal, Issue #4; Hudson River Pilings Project
2005
The New York Times; At Last, A Monument to Vietnam Veterans