Jill Benfield, BFA, GSCI

A native Floridian, Jill Benfield grew up in Satellite Beach. She moved north for college but
stayed close to the coast as she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in glass
from Jacksonville University in 2005. Since then, she has traveled the U.S. and worked with
some of the best glass artists in the country. In 2013, Jill felt called back to the Space Coast,
where she set up her own private glass casting studio and continues to work at her craft.

Growing up, Jill witnessed the struggle of friends and family members’ addiction and mental health issues and experienced the feelings of helplessness that families often feel. Art making played a significant role in her own healing journey and eventually propelled her into the field of art therapy where she is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Mental Health Counseling.

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Jill has been the art activities coordinator for Waves of Wellness surf camp which is a surf camp that focuses on mental health and wellness for children ages 7-13. She has been a co-facilitator of Julia Cameron’s “Artist Way” groups which support artists who are working through their own creative recovery journeys and has done volunteer work with Stars of Hope which is an organization that uses art-making to help people heal after tragedy. Jill believes in the power of creativity and its ability to help people express themselves in ways where words fall short.

When she’s not working in her studio, Jill enjoys running, going to the beach, coaching soccer, and spending time with her husband and three children, who inspire her to see creativity in daily experiences of life.