Heather Benjamin

Heather Benjamin’s powerful black line drawings have long been recognized for their contribution to DIY/zine culture and foldout zines and books, but her latest works defy classification.

Her work features female protagonists that explore themes of trauma, self-perception and hybridity. She provides us with insight into her ethos that underpins her practice and what lies ahead for her.

Early Life and Education

Heather Benjamin hails from Tarrytown, New York and holds a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design’s Printmaking program. Her figurative works center around an alluring female figure who both stands in for herself while simultaneously representing resilience, empowerment and self-embodiment.

Since 2008, she has been publishing her drawings in zines and books as a form of publishing. Her drawings address intimate, sexuality, body dysmorphia issues as well as moments of transition or change like loss, failure or transcendence. Currently living and working in Providence RI; when she’s not creating new work she enjoys hiking through Coastal Redwoods or singing karaoke with friends in her free time; additionally managing content strategy at USGBC+ magazine digital member magazine is another pastime she enjoys doing too.

Professional Career

Heather Benjamin is an orthopedic physician assistant specializing in musculoskeletal medicine and spine surgery. She loves engaging with her patients, discussing their goals and providing tailored treatments plans that improve their quality of life. In addition, Heather is dedicated to continuing her education.

Heather goes out of her way to ensure patients feel valued as individuals in an environment where patients often become mere medical references, making sure they know they are seen as unique individuals. In fact, one patient made homemade cookies shaped like their incision scars for Heather as a token of their appreciation!

Outside of work, she loves watching live music and karaoke performances, hiking along coastal redwood trails and cooking Mediterranean cuisine.

Achievement and Honors

Heather Benjamin is a multidisciplinary artist who began self-publishing zines and art books in 2008. Her art draws heavily upon DIY/punk ethics and culture as well as feminist ideals, with large scale drawings, paintings, animating ceramics and curating all being part of her practice. Since 2008 her practice has expanded to large-scale drawings, paintings, animating ceramics and curating. She has displayed her works at Miami Art Basel, SPRING/BREAK Muddguts Mana Contemporary Andrew Edlin among others curated group shows These Days Commune Hessel Museum of Art at Bard. Heather continues her diaristic mythological depictions that depict a single cowgirl as they navigate an emotional landscape – her latest works continue exploring her ongoing diaristic mythological accounts about one woman navigating an emotional landscape that stars one person at first sight.

Personal Life

Heather Benjamin is a multi-media artist whose art draws heavily upon DIY zine culture, printmaking and comics. Her figurative work centers around a mysterious feminine protagonist that serves as both an avatar for various traumas of womanhood as well as a representation of power resilience and self-embodiment.

Her depictions of half woman, half animal figures in various states of rapture explore issues of intimacy, sexuality, body dysmorphia and trauma; serving as an extended diary of her personal narrative.

Heather works as a nurse at Rhode Island Hospital where she strives to ensure all of her patients feel like individuals. When not making art, Heather enjoys hiking and traveling as well as attending live music concerts, karaoke sessions and cooking. In her professional capacity she oversees USGBC’s online articles platform and digital member magazine content strategy and editorial direction as a member of their content strategy and editorial direction teams.

Net Worth

Heather Dinich began her career as an internship intern for the Washington Post and quickly rose to prominence after writing an acclaimed story on Bobby Knight that garnered considerable public recognition and led her to be hired by Centre Daily Times as a reporter covering Penn State football for two years, but ultimately left due to frequent run-ins with Joe Paterno.

Twitter and Facebook are two social media platforms where she actively shares news of her recent projects and other updates, while she also maintains an official website which features all her work and provides readers with useful resources. She is an inspiring presence on Instagram too!