Ben Fernandez

Ben Fernandez (b. 2001) is a mixed media artist based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. He graduated summa cum laude, with Honors, from Caldwell University with a B.F.A. in Studio Art with a concentration in mixed media, and a minor in Art History.

In August 2019, at 18 years old, Fernandez participated in his first studio residency and group gallery exhibition through the Sol Studio program at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, N.J. His work was purchased by—and currently resides at—ESKFF (Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation) NEST, an artist retreat center in Woodstock, New York.

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Since the fall of 2021, Fernandez's work has additionally been featured in solo exhibitions, as well as group exhibitions, at galleries and community venues throughout New Jersey. His most recent solo shows include Imagine July 2022–present), Transcendence (April & May 2023), Be Still (Summer 2023–present), Transfiguration (April 2024), Inner Spirit (June 2024), Culmination (December 2024), Urgent (May 2025–present), and Art Meets Alphabet (July 2025–present). Among the group exhibitions in which his work has been included are the Manville Arts Council (MAC) 2024 Expo and 2025 Expo at the Manville Public Library in Manville, NJ in May 2024 and 2025, as well as Peace/Conflict (September–December 2024), 3{three}: the exhibit (February–May 2025), and Growing From the Ruins (September–December 2025) at Nails in the Wall Gallery at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Metuchen, NJ. His current work explores his deepening interests in spirituality and other universal topics.​

Alongside his own artistic practice and shows, Fernandez has emerging gallery curatorial and organizational experience. He has curated a traveling exhibition of watercolor paintings and colored pastel drawings by the late Isabella Neufeld since the summer of 2023. At the Mueller Gallery at Caldwell University, he was the assistant curator of a group faculty exhibition, Inspire 2023, from September–October 2023; and two solo visiting artist exhibitions, including Sarah Canfield's Reverb: Imagining the Invisible from October–November 2023 and Steve Rossi's Prior Appropriation (with Robbie Wing) in February 2024. Fernandez facilitated artist talks during the openings of both Inspire 2023 and Prior Appropriation. He then wrote an essay for the catalog of a fall 2024 solo exhibition featuring visiting artist Nick Lamia. As the culmination of his work with the Mueller Gallery, he curated and organized all aspects of Connexum: Caldwell University Kappa Pi 2025 Alumni & Student Exhibition, a group exhibition featuring alumni and students from Caldwell's Iota Epsilon chapter of Kappa Pi, the international art Honors society, for February 2025. As an alumnus of Kappa Pi, he was among the exhibiting artists. He additionally facilitated the opening of the show, including the artist talk and reception. At the same time, he wrote a series of wall texts that were displayed alongside the work of multimedia artist Sarah Canfield in her retrospective show at the BrassWorks Gallery in Montclair, NJ for the spring of 2025.

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Fernandez's artwork has been showcased in publications including Under One Sky: Leaping Letters (2019), a picture book distributed to Rwandan schoolchildren; the N.J. Department of Human Services 2020 Calendar; the 2023 issue of Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry; the 2023 and 2024 issues of Calyx, the literary journal of Caldwell University; and multiple issues (2023–24) of the Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen in NJ.​

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The numerous art accolades that Fernandez has received include a full scholarship to attend classes at The Kubert School in Dover, NJ (May 2016–June 2017), a first-place state award in Logo Design from New Jersey Future Business Leaders of America (March 2019), and a second-place state award in Digital Art presented at the New Jersey State House in Trenton (May 2019).​