After nearly 25 years, we said farewell to Ben, who left the academy last week. During his time at the Rietveld Academie, he fulfilled so many different roles that he has almost become a layer of the academy’s history himself: from inspiring teacher to Director of Education, from board member to his most recent role as advisor.
What connected all these roles was his artistic practice. He had a remarkable ability to give form to developments through image or language, as if almost becoming a work of art in itself.
His deep knowledge of the academy and its history made him a trusted guide for many. We will miss his presence: his humour, his love for art and education, and his attentive way of observing. He has a unique, visual way of speaking and writing that always drew you into his way of thinking. Above all, we will miss him as an accessible, engaged, and sincere person.
Ben's words of goodbye:
“Say bzzzz as long as you can” is the title of a painting by Manel Esparbé i Gasca, depicting a beehive. Manel was one of the few people I already knew at the Rietveld when I started teaching here one day a week in 2001, in the unique Basicyear. I quickly became convinced that if you want to pursue a life in art, the Rietveld is the best place on earth. Without any deliberate career planning, I then moved from one role to another. I learned a great deal from that myself. What matters most, however, is that the Rietveld has gradually become HOME, where the proximity of others, whether students, teachers, caretakers, or other staff, remains the most important thing. Nevertheless, we are all passersby here, each of us contributing, for a shorter or longer time, in one way or another, to the buzzing dynamics that characterize life at the Rietveld. For me, the time has come to look further ahead. In the meantime, I will cherish the good memories."
With warm appreciation, we let him go and wish him all the space for new ideas, adventures, and stories.