Painting provokes me to see the world with greater sensitivity, and my work is a response to the elements that intrigue me.
I use painting to explore my environment, experiences, and inner worlds. Grounded in observational painting, my work spans a range of subject matter and degrees of abstraction, often reflecting the complex relationship between people and nature. Painting provokes me to see the world with greater sensitivity, and my work is a response to the elements that intrigue me. Shapes, light, and color interactions often initiate the work, but they don’t necessarily dictate the outcome. In my effort to materialize a fleeting moment or idea, I experiment with process and materials, allowing something new to emerge.
Ben Hamburger is a painter and art educator based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hamburger holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Arts from Eckerd College and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Community Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art. His work has been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions around the country at locations including the Maryhill Museum of Art, The San Bernardino County Museum, the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh, and the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art. Hamburger has led workshops and taught in diverse settings including public schools, universities, art centers, museums, correctional facilities, and nonprofit organizations around the United States as well as in Bolivia, Thailand, and India. Hamburger currently serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Western Carolina University’s School of Art and Design, teaches painting at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art, and leads workshops nationwide. He can often be found painting throughout New Orleans or working from his studio at Mid-City Artist Studios.
EDUCATION
2015-2017 Master of Fine Arts, Community Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, MD
Certificate in the College Teaching of Art, MICA, Baltimore, MD
2006-2010 Bachelor of Art, Visual Arts, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 New Orleans Nocturne, Degas Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2019 Medicine Cabinet, The ArtsCenter, Carrboro, NC
2017 Facing Change, Northeast Market, Baltimore, MD
2012 Before Day, Gallery Royale, New Orleans, LA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
Southeast Invitational, Shain Gallery, Charlotte, NC
As it Unfolds, New Art Dealers Association, Online Group Exhibition, Curated by Fitsum Shebeshe
A Look Forward with Bascom Instructors, Joel Gallery, Bascom Center for Visual Arts, Highlands, NC
En Plein Air Abita Springs, Abita Springs Trailhead Museum, Abita Springs, LA
Observer, Curated by Emre Karaoglu, The Front, New Orleans, LA
School of Art & Design Faculty Biennial, Bardo Art Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC
2024
Sedimentary, Two-person exhibition with Augustus Hoffman, New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts, New Orleans, LA
The Birds Shall Return, Palestine Benefit Exhibition, Art Conscious Gallery, Arabi, LA
Parts Unknown II, Staple Goods, New Orleans, LA
Louisiana Fine Arts Showcase, Southeastern Louisiana University Contemporary Art Gallery, Hammond, LA
Figurative Group Show: Impact, Gallery Huracan, New Orleans, LA
Individuals, Second Story Gallery, New Orleans Healing Center, New Orleans, LA
2023
Le Salon des Bon Enfants, Good Children Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Mesopic Vision, Two-person exhibition with Kaori Maeyama, Cave Gallery at The Willow School, New Orleans, LA
The New Orleans Art Association 2023 National Show, Juried by Dawn Emerson, The Building, New Orleans, LA
The Annual Faculty Exhibition, New Orleans Academy of Fine Art, New Orleans, LA
School of Art & Design Faculty Biennial, WCU Fine Arts Museum, Cullowhee, NC
2022
St. Bernard Plein Air, Crevasse 22 River House, St. Bernard, LA
Out of The House, Virtual Group Exhibition, Concept Animals, Austin, TX
Presence, North Carolina Figurative Artists, Greenhill Center for NC Art, Greensboro, NC
2021
Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency 15th Anniversary Exhibition, San Bernardino County Museum, Redlands, CA
Contemporary Figurative Show, Hillard Gallery, Kansas City, MO
…For Our Consideration, Curated by Lucia Olubunmi Momoh, The Front, New Orleans, LA
School of Art & Design Faculty Biennial, Bardo Art Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC
2020
In The Hallway, Alternate Roots Virtual Salon, Curated by Abrose Murray
People Are Like Plants, Online Exhibition, Joshua Tree Art Gallery, Joshua Tree, CA
Asheville Masters, Curated by Ken Vallario, Phil Mechanic Studios, Asheville, NC
Raleigh Fine Art Society NC Artists Exhibition, Juried, Curated by Nat Trotman, CAM Raleigh, Raleigh, NC
Documenting Activism, National Humanities Center, Research Triangle, NC
Work Outside, Cobb Gallery, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL
2019
Larger than Life, Figurative Art Exhibition, Mark BeZs Gallery, Asheville, NC
ArtFields, Juried Exhibition, Lake City, SC2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 Passing Through, Four Person Show, Joshua Tree Art Gallery, Joshua Tree, CA
50 Years Without King, Cobb Gallery, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL
Community! Here and Now, Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel, MD
Repurposed with Purpose, Curated by Doreen Bolger, Maryland Art Place, Baltimore, MD
Pacific Northwest Plein Air Juried Exhibition, Maryhill Museum of Art, Goldendale, WA
Walls We Build, Eno Gallery, Hillsborough, NC
Contemporary South 18’, Juried Exhibition, Visual Art Exchange, Raleigh, NC
Paint it Orange, Juried Exhibition, Hillsborough Arts Council, Hillsborough, NC
Unbound: Documentary as Art, The Carrack Modern Art, Durham, NC
MICA Grad Show III, Decker Gallery, Baltimore, MD
Strokes of Genius, Juried Exhibition, Circle Gallery, Annapolis, MD
Finding Our Place, Hall BarneL Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Twilight Time, Two-Person Show, Julia 600 Gallery, New Orleans, LA
The Land, Washington ArtWorks, Rockville, MD
House, The Foundation Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Pacific Northwest Plein Air Juried Exhibition, Columbia Center for the Arts, Hood River, OR
K’anchay, La Muela Del Diablo, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Space Between, Ariodante, New Orleans, LA
HONORS & AWARDS
2025 Finalist, The Homiens Art Prize, Winter 2025
2023 Honorable Mention, New Orleans Art Association National Show, Juror James Michalopoulos, New Orleans, LA
2019 Outstanding Young Alumni Award, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL.
2018 First Place, Paint it Orange Plein Air Event, Juror Chad Smith, Hillsborough, NC
Artist Project Grant Recipient, Orange County Arts Commission, Orange County, NC
2017 Project Development Grant Recipient, Alternate Roots, Baltimore, MD
RESIDENCIES
2019 Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency, Seven-week Group Residency Fellow, Joshua Tree, CA
2014 Artist in Residence, Sustainable Bolivia, Cochabamba, Bolivia
2013 Artist and Sense of Place Art Education Residency, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA
2012 Artist in Residence, Action Research in Community Health & Development, Gujarat, India
SELECTED PRESS
2022 Medium, BuLerbaugh, Chad. July 24, 2022. Art I Had to Have: Above It All.
|hLps://medium.com/@chadbuterbaugh/art-i-had-to-have-above-it-all-625c32f8e9d9|
2019 The News and Observer, Menconi, David. February 13, 2019. When Confederate statues fall, this artist is there to
‘commemorate this time of change’. |hLps://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/ar3cle224953425.html|
Indy Week, Pietras, Emily. February 6, 2019. Painting Magic Mushrooms on Pill BoHles and Cell Phones, Ben
Hamburger Contrasts Our Culture’s Mindful Ambitions and Mindless
Habits.|hLps://indyweek.com/culture/art/painting-magic-mushroomson-pill-boLles-and-cell-phones-ben/|
2018 ABC 11, Powell, Tisha. October 26, 2018. Durham Students Leave Their Mark Through Literacy and Art.
|hHps://abc11.com/mural-lakewood-elementary-durham-school-bulldog-paws/4562479/|
south: A Scholarly Journal, Holland, Sharon and Hamburger, Ben, “A Conversation with Ben Hamburger, south
Volume L, 1 (2018): 81-89. Print. |hLps://www.jstor.org/stable/26484086|
Scalawag Magazine, Hamburger, Ben, Aug. 15, 2018, Toppling Giants: Painting the Removal of Confederate
Monuments, Online Photo Essay, |hLps://www.scalawagmagazine.org/2018/08/removing-confederatemonuments-
paintings/|
2017 Baltimore Style, Burrows Sydney. March 31, 2017. Stories of Change: A Young Artist Explores Baltimore's
Shifting Landscape. |hLp://baltimorestyle.com/stories-of-change/|
WYPR, Kast,Sheilah and Harvie, Maureen. April 4, 2017. Facing Change: Portraits of East Baltimore.
|hLp://wypr.org/post/facing-change-portraits-east-baltimore|
2016 The Baltimore Sun, Mbakwe, Christiana. July 12, 2016. Art by Local Refugee Youth Explores “Sanctuary”.
|hLp://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bs-ae-refugee-art-20160712-story.html|
