Americans for the Arts

Ben Owen has more than a decade of experience in public art management for statewide public art agencies. In his current role at the Airport Foundation MSP, he is responsible for all visual and performing arts programming at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Prior to joining the foundation, he managed the Minnesota Percent for Art in Public Places program, which acquires works of art for communities throughout the state using up to one percent of statefunded capital improvement projects. Before making the move to Minnesota, he was based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he served as project coordinator for the Art in Public Places program at New Mexico Arts, a Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs and the state arts agency for the State of New Mexico. Notable public art acquisitions he has facilitated include the Student Innovation Center at Iowa State University in Ames, IA; the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN; the Bioscience and Health Careers Center at North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, MN; Wade Municipal Stadium in Duluth, MN; WisePies Arena at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM; the Mark and Stephanie Medoff Theatre in New Mexico State University’s Center for the Arts in Las Cruces, NM; and Spaceport America in Upham, NM. Owen holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the University of Memphis and an Associate of Science in Fine Art from Chattanooga State Community College.