Outstanding Alum: Impact on Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement
Street art, also known as graffiti, might not be an artist’s enduring goal, but as a boarding school student in Boston, it was an art form that led Benjamin Fain to an interest in broadening his creative palette. That interest led him to check out the Hartford Art School (HAS) at UHart. The Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate (with a concentration in sculpture) says that decision changed his life.
Fain is now a professional artist and business entrepreneur who wears his many hats with confidence and pride. Among his activities are opening new bars, restaurants, and hotels in upstate New York; working in his studio creating art from found objects; and spending time with his son Hank and his wife, Carrie Schneider, who has a Master of Fine Arts from UHart.
Fain has a business relationship with a metal scrapper in the upstate town of Hudson who drives around and picks up metal scraps in alleyways. Whatever he doesn’t need, he drops off at Fain’s studio. “I have one rule,” Fain shares gleefully. “I must use whatever he drops off!”
All of Fain's commercial development projects include an artistic component. One bar, for instance, will promote authors whose work he and his business partners enjoy. He incorporates his art into the design of his commercial spaces and ensures that customers have the experience he envisions for them. For Fain, art and business always work together.