1970- ‘72 Toronto and San Francisco
Benjamin went to San Francisco, where his friend, sculptor Brian Wall was living and working, to take up a post as a Visiting Artist at the California State College, in Hayward. He stated in an interview in the local - Daily Review - '“… an artist’s work ought to reflect his life and what goes on around him, and it ought to be fun… it can be serious, but it ought to be playful too”.
He became friends with Susan Subtle, a zany curator and edgy art journalist on the Wasington Post and San Francisco Chronical. She was expert in the Art of Fun and the creator of the forward looking - Hello Again! Exhibition -Art and Design produced with recycled material, first staged at the Oakland Museum in 1997 with the most visitors ever to enter a show. This was a long time before creative recycling was taken very seriously, except by a few eccentric oddballs and clever folk with restricted resources. Subtle’s circle of innovative creatives included Raymond Saunders, George Miyazaki, Bill Bailey and many others who then became Nancy and Benjamin’s friends as well.
Benjamin had a sculpture show at the Comsky Gallery in Los Angeles, and was part of a Group Show of British Sculptors- Barbara Hepworth and her Contemporaries, in Atlanta Georgia. He continued commuting between North America and London, and participating in shows everywhere from Norway to Japan.
Nimbus Arch, Perspex and stainless steel, Mira Goddard Gallery, Toronto, 1970 (Move this image to the bottom of the previous ‘Toronto’ page)
When Mira Goddard wanted to celebrate an important gallery anniversary Mira Goddard invited all the artists and regular clients to a champagne reception, She had previously asked the artists to each make a design for a celebratory cake to be made by a Master Cake Baker. As expected, most of the artists designed cakes that resembled the art they made… but not Benjamin; he designed an elaborate Confectionary Delight, fit for the wedding of the Queen of Sheba or the birthday of a Faerie Princess. After the canapes had all been devoured, and many glasses of bubbly had been drunk, the Arty Cakes were wheeled on trolliies to polite appreciation, but when Benjamin’s delightful, extravaganza finally appeared, the enthusiastic applause was followed by gasps of glee, as the guests descended on the cake like a swarm of starving ants.
Mira Goddard was the most effective art dealer Benjamin was ever associated with, unfortunately when he returned to Britain the connection faded, because the gallery was primarily focused on art made in Canada.
York University was a more sophisticated establishment than Calgary University, and Toronto was a more sophisticated city than Calgary, not so many Cowboys in the streets. Benjamin enjoyed his time at York, partly because the charismatic and skillful intaglio printer, Eugene Tellez, who he knew from his time in Paris at Atelier 17 in Paris, was also there working in the Art Department.
Benjamin also taught part time at OCA, (Ontario College of Art) when Roy Ascott, who he had worked with at Ealing and Ipswich, took over as Head of the College. Then when Ascott went off in a huff, or was sacked…or both, Benjamin reluctantly accepted the appointed as temporary Head of OCA. At the end of September 1972, he wrote to Nancy referring to his appointment as- “my ridiculous job” and a few more unrepeatable comments. The letter ended with -
“ I sure hope Max decides to publish the Roxy Suite,” (Max did not want to publish ) “Can you please ask ENO when he’s coming to Buffalo, as I want to get tickets. Roy & Liz (Ascott) want to go, so do some students “
Benjamin with Ahkenaten sculpture- photo Miki Slingsby
