Michele Benjamin is an award-winning New York artist who creates jewelry, sculpture, prints and wearable art. Her nature-inspired and activist creations are associated with cultural institutions, fashion, and social causes such as women's empowerment and wildlife conservation. Benjamin earned a BA in Art History from Arizona State University, completed post-graduate studies at Parsons School of Design, and specialized Jewelry Design courses at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), including fabrication techniques, lost wax, and professional jewelry production methods. Her collections are offered in art galleries, cultural institutions, and boutiques nationally and internationally, including Whitney Museum of American Art, Bruce Museum Store, Pictor Gallery, on the runway at New York Fashion Week (NYFW), and on Amazon.com.  

Benjamin's designs are certified WBE (Women Business Enterprise) by Port Authority, NY/NJ, New York State Economic Dev. Corp, and New York City Economic Dev. Corp. She served as Arts Envoy on behalf of the U.S. State Department, teaching workshops and promoting women’s empowerment in Southeast Asia.  She received awards from NYFA, NY City Artist Corps, and Global NY STEP awards for travel to promote her collections in UAE and Singapore. She received Commissions from New York City Store, Central Park Conservancy, Battery Park Conservancy, Empowers Africa, The High Line, Roanoke College, VA, Berkshire Botanical Garden, MA, Siddhartha School, India, and Dubai Expo, UAE. ​

CLIENTS: 

• MADE in NY: Fashion,  NYCEDC, New York, NY
• Made in NYC, Pratt Institute, New York, NY
• MIQ: Made in Queens, QEDC, Queens, NY
  
  
• WBE: NYC, NYCEDC, New York City,  Expires: 10/31/2027.
• WBE: PANYNJ, The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Expires: 08/20/2026.
• WBE: NYS,  Empire State Development, New York State, Expires 01/30/2024.
• WOSB: Woman-Owned Small Business, US SBA, Washington, DC. Expires: 10/16/2022 (currently being renewed)
  

AWARDS:

July - Oct. 2022:   NYFA Grant recipient of artist oriented workshops: "Demystifying NFTs Workshops I and II"  NYFA partnered with artist/technologist Laura Ó Reilly and Technology Gap to teach artists how to create eco-responsible NFTs.

July, 2022: GLOBAL NY: STEP 9 AWARD by GLOBAL NEW YORK, ESD "State Trade Expansion Program" Empire State Development Corporation, NYS, to Promote "Made in New York" products at SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL JEWELRY EXPO (SIJE), Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, July 14-17, 2022.

August, 2021: NEW YORK CITY ARTIST CORPS GRANT AWARD by New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) in partnership with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), with support from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and Queens Theatre. 

Feb. - Sept. 2021: VERIZON MENTORSHIP PROGRAM COHORT 3 by TECH INCUBATOR AT QUEENS COLLEGE, CUNY
Awarded acceptance into 6 month digital marketing training program sponsored by Verizon and Yahoo, as well as a growth circle peer-to-peer mentoring program.

November 2019:  GLOBAL NY: STEP 8 AWARD by GLOBAL NEW YORK, ESD.
"State Trade Expansion Program" Empire State Development Corporation, NYS, to Promote "Made in New York" products in DUBAI, UAE.

June 2019:  ARTS ENVOY: U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC,
Department of Cultural Affairs: Teaching Art and Jewelry Workshops:
"Empowering Women" in Cambodia and
"Saving Wildlife Through Art" in Laos.  

MEMBERSHIPS:

• Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, New York, NY 
• Women's Jewelry Association, Mentorship Committee Board Member, New York, NY
• NGOCSW, United Nations, New York, NY
• Women in the Arts Foundation, Board Member, New York, NY
• Pictor Gallery, Affiliate Member, New York, NY