John Benson (artisan)
Encyclopedia
John Everett Benson known as Fud, is a calligrapher, stonecarver and typeface designer who has created inscriptions for monuments including the John F. Kennedy
memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
, the National Gallery of Art
, and the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC.
John Benson was born in Newport, Rhode Island
. He began working for his father, John Howard Benson, at the age of fifteen at The John Stevens Shop
. He studied sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design
. In 1964, Benson and John Hegnauer
were commissioned to design and carve the inscriptions on the John F. Kennedy
memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
. In Rhode Island, Benson carved a number of inscriptions at the University of Rhode Island
's Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons.
He also designed and carved gravestones for Tennessee Williams
, Lillian Hellman
, and George Balanchine
. In 1993, he left the direction of The John Stevens Shop
to his son, Nicholas Benson
and returned to sculpting full-time. He is currently doing portrait and figurative work in clay and bronze at his studio in Newport
, Rhode Island.
He has created monumental architectural inscriptions for famous buildings such as the Prudential Center in Boston, the National Gallery of Art
, the Dallas Museum of Art
, Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center, and the Armand Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles
. He lettered the date stones of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, the Civil Rights Memorial
in Montgomery, Alabama, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
in Washington, DC and the Federal Courthouse in Boston.
He has drawn various photo-typefaces for architectural applications and a titling typeface, called Aardvark™, for The Font Bureau in Boston, Alexa
, Balzano, and Caliban.
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
, the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
, and the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC.
John Benson was born in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. He began working for his father, John Howard Benson, at the age of fifteen at The John Stevens Shop
The John Stevens Shop
The John Stevens Shop, founded in 1705, is a stone carving business in Newport, Rhode Island that is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in America.-History:John Stevens was born in Oxfordshire, England...
. He studied sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
. In 1964, Benson and John Hegnauer
John Hegnauer
-Life:John Hegnauer studied Biology at Chicago's Northwestern University. He came to Newport, Rhode Island, in 1962 to work with John "Fud" Benson in The John Stevens Shop. Together they worked on the inscriptions on the John F. Kennedy memorial at the Arlington National Cemetery. In 1979 Hegnauer...
were commissioned to design and carve the inscriptions on the John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
. In Rhode Island, Benson carved a number of inscriptions at the University of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
's Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons.
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
, Lillian Hellman
Lillian Hellman
Lillian Florence "Lily" Hellman was an American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes...
, and George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
. In 1993, he left the direction of The John Stevens Shop
The John Stevens Shop
The John Stevens Shop, founded in 1705, is a stone carving business in Newport, Rhode Island that is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in America.-History:John Stevens was born in Oxfordshire, England...
to his son, Nicholas Benson
Nicholas Benson
Nicholas Waite Benson is a third generation American stone carver and owner of The John Stevens Shop in Newport, Rhode Island. He was named a 2010 MacArthur Fellow.-Early life:...
and returned to sculpting full-time. He is currently doing portrait and figurative work in clay and bronze at his studio in Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Rhode Island.
He has created monumental architectural inscriptions for famous buildings such as the Prudential Center in Boston, the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
, the Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas Museum of Art
The Dallas Museum of Art is a major art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, USA, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In 1984, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Arts District, Dallas, Texas...
, Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center, and the Armand Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He lettered the date stones of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, the Civil Rights Memorial
Civil Rights Memorial
The Civil Rights Memorial is a memorial in Montgomery, Alabama to 40 people who died in the struggle for the equal and integrated treatment of all people, regardless of race, during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The memorial is sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center.The...
in Montgomery, Alabama, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
The memorial's design concept of four outdoor "rooms" and gardens is animated by water, stone, and sculpture.The 1974 design competition was won by Lawrence Halprin; but for more than 20 years Congress failed to appropriate the funds to move beyond this conceptual stage...
in Washington, DC and the Federal Courthouse in Boston.
He has drawn various photo-typefaces for architectural applications and a titling typeface, called Aardvark™, for The Font Bureau in Boston, Alexa
Alexa (typeface)
Alexa is a typeface. It was designed for Adobe Systems in 1995 by John Benson, a famous United States carver of inscriptions, including those at the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. Benson modeled the friendly, casual script after his own handwriting and named it after his...
, Balzano, and Caliban.
External links
- Final Marks, The Art of the Carved Letter (1979), by Frank Muhly, Jr., Peter O'Neill
- The John Stevens Shop