Benji Stiles Born in New Orleans, Robert Benjamin Stiles (Benji, he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist and educator who lives and works in Houston, Texas. He holds a BA from the University of St. Thomas, with a major in Art History and a minor in Studio Art and is currently an MFA candidate at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art). His work ranges from non-representational painting focusing on diverse mark making and color theory, to conceptual sculpture, assemblage, and installation work using a variety of media including historical and found objects. In 2004 Stiles began a career in education as a photography instructor at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Glassell School before transitioning to the public school setting teaching art classes ranging from introductory level to advanced AP and International Baccalaureate courses. Since 2020, Stiles has established a successful practice at Hardy and Nance Studios while exhibiting work throughout the region including numerous group shows and four solo exhibitions. He has several curatorial credits with diverse groups of recognized national and regional artists, including: Rise and Fall Show (Hardy & Nance Studios - main gallery, 2020), Whole in Pieces (Monterroso Gallery, 2022). Stiles has twice exhibited work at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston: April 2023 for the CAMH’s annual auction and May 2022 through the CAMHLab residency program with a group of educators and students as lead curator. Two works by Stiles can be found in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Artist Interview Curriculum Vitae EDUCATION2025 MFA Candidate, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, MD1999 BA, Art History, University of Saint Thomas, Houston, TX SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS2023 A Human Day, Reeves Art + Design, Houston, TX2022 Formal/Informal, G Contemporary Gallery, Houston, TX2021 Happy Days, Lone Star College, Montgomery, TX2020 A selection of paintings and Installed Objects, Main Gallery, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS2024 Texas Emerging: Volume V, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, TX2023 Crossroads - Eastward Imprints: Houston Artists in Austin, Big Medium, Austin, TX, Curator: John Paul Jackson.2023 Contemporary Art Museum Houston, TX2023 Outside In, Leidy Gallery, Baltimore, MD2022 Septet, Reeves Art + Design, Houston, TX2022 MICA - Lazarus Center- Exhibition Space, Baltimore, MD2022 27th Annual VAA Show, Visual Arts Alliance, Houston, TX, Curator: Alison de Lima Greene2022 For Ellen, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX, Curator: Matt Messinger2022 CAMHLAB, Contemporary Art Museum Houston, TX2021 26th Annual VAA Show, Visual Arts Alliance, Houston, TX2021 13th Annual Competition, Archway Gallery, Houston, TX, Curator: Wayne Gilbert2021 The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX, Curator: Cecilia Fajardo-Hill.2021 Collect it for the Culture III, Downtown Art Space, Houston, TX, Curator: Robert Hodge CURATORIAL PROJECTS2022 TAG Show, CAMHLAB, Contemporary Art Museum Houston, TX2022 Whole in Pieces, Monterroso Gallery, Houston, TX2021 Rise & Fall, Hardy & Nance Studios, Houston, TX PUBLIC COLLECTIONSMuseum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX