Artist in Residence Program
As part of our mission to celebrate and protect human-made art, we are excited to introduce our Artist-in-Residence program. At each sanctuary, we aim to support several talented artists who will create large-scale installations in collaboration with our guests, while sharing their craft through interactive classes and workshops. If you're interested in joining or supporting our Artist-in-Residence program, we'd love to hear from you.
​​
Ben Devoe
Partner & Artist in Residence
Ben DeVoe is a multifaceted contemporary artist, craftsman, and producer whose artistic journey began with a strong foundation in painting and sculpture, evidenced by early exhibitions and international private collections. He honed his skills under painter Yoshiaki Yoshinari and gained early recognition in Columbus, Ohio before immersing himself in the gritty Brooklyn underground art scene that predated and paved the way for the now vibrant Bushwick.
This fertile environment fostered his deep engagement with community-based, experiential, and immersive arts. Mentored by master fabricator Yarrow Mazzetti, DeVoe collaborated extensively with influential art groups such as The Junxion, Overkill Movement, Symmetry Labs, Swimming Cities, The House of Yes, The New Flesh Workshop, and The Center for the Holographic Arts, contributing to numerous large-scale art pieces for festivals like Burning Man and Elements. He also established his own artistic endeavors, including the art collective Thunder Gumbo. Drawing on two decades of experience as a tradesman, with half dedicated to creative building, production, and fabrication, DeVoe founded Coywolf in January 2020.
Initially offering a wide spectrum of creative direction, production, consultations, design, and art fabrication alongside practical building and general contracting services, Coywolf shifted during the pandemic to provide fully licensed general contracting with a focus on creative home-building solutions in the Hudson Valley, where it continues to operate. While his art and building expertise have always been intertwined, narrative and experience remain central to DeVoe's artistic vision. His early paintings and sculptures, described as bright pop expressions within extreme industrial grit, were said to "suggest the primitive and mythical."
After a decade, he returned to prolific art creation with the immersive experience "Ex Caelo," a 4,000 square foot fusion of art installations, costumes, theater, and games that explored a new mythology and captivated sold-out audiences in 2019. In 2021, he released a series of shrines crafted almost entirely from foraged rotting wood, stone, and bone, delving into themes of ancestral connection, spirituality, and altruistic expression. Currently, DeVoe is developing a gallery series intended to provoke a sense of our ancient and ongoing impact on the world and exploring a new avenue combining architecture, building, and earthwork with his artistic practice.