Lee Benson, Union University professor of fine arts in sculpture and art department chair, recently won a sculpting competition with a work entitled “The Glow From Within” in December at the Georgetown Glow Sculpture Competition.
Benson put in the sculpture at Georgetown, Maryland with two of his children. Benson enjoys creating sculptures with his family, including his wife and children. They are each a part of Benson Sculpture LLC.
Benson gives credit to God for inspiring all of his artwork. “The Glow From Within” symbolizes the prime responsibility Christians possess to act as a shining light unto others.
Benson uses a quote from E. Stanley Jones to shine a light on the meaning this sculpture contains for Christians.
“The only beautiful people are people who lose themselves in a great cause; they grow beautiful as they continually gaze at Beauty. The only charming people are people who charm you to great ends; and they themselves become charming as they lose themselves in you and in others.”
“That is the responsibility of a Christian… we should continually be charming to other people,” said Benson.
Dr. Steve Halla, art professor and colleague of Benson, states that Benson is a wonderful artist as well as a passionate follower of Christ.
“Almost every time I see him working in his studio, he seems to have another project or two in the works. He is living proof that if you work hard and put God first, you can lead a very productive and rewarding life as a visual artist.”
Benson exhibits his glow through his art not only by giving his work Christian context but also by donating the wood from his sculptures to Habitat for Humanity so that the materials can be used to help build homes for underprivileged families. This instance is not the first project in which he has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity. He has worked with Habitat for Humanity in numerous locations ranging from places like Australia, Georgia, Indiana, Key West, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Tennessee.
Benson has served as a professor at Union for 18 years and has been sculpting for around 25 years. He continues to shine his own light in the Union community by using his talents to glorify the Lord.
