Instructor Spotlight: Benjamin Dysart
Benjamin Dysart is originally from Oxford, Ohio, a college town near Cincinnati. Benjamin earned a BFA in Studio Art from Miami University and an MFA from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at MICA. Dysart’s professional work involves creating installations that utilize handmade objects to obscure and abstract projected video. “I am deeply interested in the power objects hold and their push and pull on the world around them,” says Dysart. Woodworking, particularly crafting cutting boards, boxes, and bowls, is a significant part of their creative practice, along with lathework, mainly focusing on bowls and lidded boxes.
What drew you into teaching? (Was there an event or person in your life that introduced you to it? How long have you been teaching?)
I’ve always loved learning new skills and sharing with others but my first real opportunity at teaching came in my undergraduate sculpture courses. My instructor Rod Northcutt pushed me to take a leadership role within our classes which led to me eventually teaching during the course and outside in the sculpture lab, as I assisted with other beginning sculpture courses. I also have to mention my mother Becky who spent her weekends off of work going from project to project, teaching me how to repair our home when I was a child. I have been teaching for about six years.
Tell me about the classes you teach.
I teach woodworking and woodturning classes, as well as leading a weekly fine arts after school program called Teen Club.
What's your favorite aspect of being an instructor at CAC?
My favorite part of being an instructor at the CAC is seeing how much fun our students have while learning a new skill or finishing up a new project. Creating something by hand is incredibly rewarding and helping someone learn a new skill is a lot of fun.
What advice would you give students who may want to pursue a career as a Maker?
Trust your gut and pursue what matters to you. Be open to differing perspectives and try to learn as much as you can from those around you.
What else are you working on personally or professionally?
I just graduated this May so currently I am taking a break from my professional art practice. Right now I am working on building up my stock of cutting boards, trays, signs, and bowls for the holiday art markets around Baltimore City.
Check out one of Benjamin’s upcoming classes here.
