The Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program in the College's Department of Art and Architectural History presents “The Art of Fresco,” a lecture by Ben Long, Quattlebaum Artist-in-Residence.

A North Carolina native, Ben Long is one of few artists today to be recognized as a master of the art of fresco-painting on wet plaster, the process dating back to Pompeii and used by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

After completing studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the Art Students League in New York, Long served two tours of duty in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, where he served as the Commander of the Combat Art Team. Long apprenticed in Florence, Italy, under Maestro Pietro Annigoni for nearly nine years before returning to North Carolina. His many honors include the prestigious Leonardo da Vinci International Art Award. He has completed more than a dozen frescoes in the state, as well as commissions in France and Italy. His body of work (frescoes and others) is quite prolific. Learn more here. 

With its origin dating back to 1985, the College’s Quattlebaum Artists-in-Residence Endowment has helped connect students and the community to renowned artists, such as visual artist Christo, pianist Leon Fleisher, photographer Duane Michaels, former NEA Chairman and actor Jane Alexander, and visual artist Htein Lin, among many others.