Biography
Nicole DesChamps-Benke is an Artist, Professor of Instruction at Texas State University, and Director of the Multidisciplinary Innovation Lab in the School of Art & Design. Her curriculum integrates digital fabrication technologies with traditional studio making processes.
DesChamps-Benke received a BFA from the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit and MFA from the University of Michigan. The Walker Art Museum Shop Gallery (Minneapolis), Aaron Faber Gallery (New York), American Craft Museum (New York), Gallery Okariya (Ginza District of Tokyo), Yamawaki Art college Gallery (Tokyo, Japan) and Tsubame Industrial Materials Museum (Nigata, Japan) have exhibited her work. Additional showcases can be found in publications, such as The Metalsmith’s Book of Boxes and Lockets; Mokume Gane: A Comprehensive Study; Metalsmith Magazine; and The Four Seasons of Jewelry Japanese quarterly journal. Nicole was a featured co-presenter at the 1999 Society of North American Goldsmiths conference in St. Louis, Missouri, for being an early adopter of computer aided technologies. The Museum of Art and Design, formerly American Craft Museum (New York) and Racine Art Museum (Racine) hold her work in their permanent collections.