Outstanding Alum: Impact on Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement
Ben Fain has built a career at the intersection of art, architecture, preservation, and entrepreneurship. He is the founder and CEO of Nice & Weird LLC, a hospitality and real estate development company dedicated to restoring historic places and creating vibrant, design-driven communities that celebrate craftsmanship and culture. Fain earned a BFA in sculpture from UHart and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
His work includes the restoration of the historic Catskill Community Theater in Catskill, New York; the adaptive reuse of dozens of architecturally and historically significant buildings throughout New York's Hudson Valley; and the development of South Bay, an ambitious mixed-use district that will combine hospitality, housing, commerce, and public space. Other projects include work for Kitty's Market, Mr. Cat Brasserie, The Caboose Hudson, The Wick Hotel, and Grapefruit Wines, most of which are in the historic Hudson Valley of New York State.
Fain continues to apply the principles of sculpture, materiality, and design to projects he creates or spearheads, demonstrating how creativity can extend well beyond the artist's studio to transform buildings, neighborhoods, and communities.