Ben Van Dyke was born in the heat of southern Florida and later moved to the chill of western Michigan. His life, and his intellectual pursuit, is a series of stark contrasts and experiential anomalies. He received an MFA from the Stamps School at the University of Michigan and a BFA from Kendall College of Art & Design. He has been invited to exhibit his work across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. After a Fulbright Fellowship in The Netherlands and a tenured faculty position at the University at Buffalo, Van Dyke returned to Michigan to contribute to the state’s historic place in design history. He is currently Associate Professor, Associate Chair, and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University.