Born in 1948 in New York, New York, Jamie Bennett is a studio jeweler and educator who is often cited as one of the preeminent enamelists in the world today. Although his early studies were in business – he received a BAA from the University of Georgia in 1970 – Bennett transitioned to art and received his MFA from the State University of New York, New Paltz in 1974. He was introduced to enamel by Kurt Matzdort, a 1992 American Craft Council Fellow who became Bennett’s mentor at SUNY: New Paltz. After teaching at several universities around the country, Bennett ultimately landed back at his alma mater in 1985, where he remained until retiring in 2014. Bennett often creates enamel works that suggest nature, and is interested in the varied representation of nature across cultural traditions of ornamentation. Bennett’s work has been included in significant exhibitions around the world and is represented within many public collections, including the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He has been recognized with the James Renwick Alliance Outstanding Educator Award (2016) and three fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts. Jamie Bennett was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 2009.