Where Are They Now? Ben Ferry
9/17/2020 11:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Men's soccer alumnus still has knack for creating
Hundreds of Washingtonians filed through gallery neptune & brown in the Logan Circle neighborhood on opening night of Ben Ferry's Hats Off exhibition last fall.
The contemporary art collection, featuring esteemed hatmaker Vanilla Beane and her local shop Bené Millinery, had been more than two years in the making for Ferry, whose work to sell his vision and make it reality stretched well beyond the hours required to carefully craft the 40-plus pieces in oil, ink, watercolor and pastel.
On the eve of Beane's 100th birthday, a diverse crowd representing all corners of the District gathered to fete Beane, her shop and Ferry's work documenting a unique slice of life in the nation's capital.
"It was so cool to have everybody there celebrating this person and the fact that we crossed paths," said Ferry, a GW men's soccer alumnus who still holds the NCAA record for most assists in a season. "I don't think I ever could've expected to have something that ended up working out so successfully like that. It was just so much fun."
The Hats Off exhibition represented a breakthrough for Ferry, who represented the Buff and Blue from 1994-98 and earned a pair of fine art degrees from the university. His commemoration of Beane was highlighted by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday and featured in the Washington Post and other newspapers across the country.
Through the years, Ferry's projects have literally spanned coast-to-coast – from scenes of the San Juan Islands off Washington state to a series set in Bangor, Maine. It was particularly special to reach such a wide audience for a collection depicting his hometown.
More than anything, Ferry is thankful for the day that he finally decided to stop in to meet Beane after so many trips past Bené Millinery on family strolls around his Brightwood-Manor Park neighborhood.
"You make art about who you are," said Ferry, who is also in his eighth year as an art teacher and soccer coach at the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Md. "I'm from D.C. and part of D.C., and I made art about D.C. – And it really resonated with people."
At GW, Ferry was able to marry his two lifelong passions – art and soccer – and prove his mettle as a gifted creator, both in the studio and on the pitch.
Coming out of nearby Walt Whitman High School, Ferry followed his brother Matt to the Colonials. He'd go on to tally a program-record 45 assists, including an eye-popping 24 in 18 games as a redshirt junior in 1997 to set the NCAA mark.
Ferry took full advantage of a potent group of attackers in Ben Hatton, Sebastian Rodriguez and Omar Sigtryggsson on his record-breaking run, which included a five assist-effort in an 8-3 win over Fordham on Oct. 5, 1997.
More than two decades later, Ferry stands alone in the national record book, one clear of a four-way tie at 23.
"Of course, it's an honor to get some sort of national recognition for what you're able to bring to the table," said Ferry, whose 65 points rank 10th in program history. "It's easy to lose sight of, but I was a scholarship athlete. It was the reason I was able to go to GW.
"I always looked at it as the school was making an investment in me. They saw me as somebody that would carry the name of the school in a positive way, and I always felt this responsibility to pay that back."
Ferry also made the most of his experience as an art major, spending seven years in total at GW between the undergraduate and master's programs.
Along the way, he formed relationships on the D.C. art scene that remain vital to his career, both as a teacher and artist. For example, he met Skip Barnhart as a teenager through a Smithsonian art program before taking classes under him at GW. It was Barnhart who helped connect him with gallery neptune & brown owners Robert Brown and Christine Neptune.
"All of these people that have been so influential in my career, it all comes back to GW connections," said Ferry, who is a regular at men's soccer alumni events supporting the Colonials under his former teammate Craig Jones. "They've just continually advocated for me. That's really cool."
For a while, Ferry continued to balance both pursuits. He trained with D.C. United and enjoyed a successful rookie campaign with the Hershey Wildcats of the A League in 1999 before a back injury put an end to his pro career.
He returned from spinal fusion surgery 18 months later to play a final season with Hershey in 2001, but it became clear it was time to chart a new path.
"Trying to make a name for yourself in the art world is a really weird and difficult thing," Ferry said. "It's a marathon. If you think you're going to become some famous artist overnight, it just doesn't happen that way."
Ferry has kept plugging away. He's always on the lookout for the next project, finding time around teaching, coaching soccer and raising sons Paul and James with his wife Lauren to tap into his creative side.
As an artist, Ferry likes to experiment with different media, often illustrating scenes that pay homage to his family's Midwestern roots. The late American artist Andrew Wyeth is an inspiration.
"I end up making art about different places that are a part of my life that I find beautiful," Ferry said. "I kind of pop around and find something that I think is cool, and then I just try to squeeze every drop out of it."
For Hat's Off, Ferry dove into learning more about the unassuming shop down the street. He put in the time to really get to know Vanilla Beane and her family before getting to work.
He listened to her stories spanning more than 60 years as milliner during which a hobby into a trailblazing artform. She's famously outfitted civil rights leader Dr. Dorothy Height and poet Maya Angelou and had her headwear featured in the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. She's still going today, though by appointment only at 101.
"It's a really cool place in time that I wanted people to be able to see," Ferry said. "Because in a year or two chances are – sadly so – she's going to pass on, and then this shop's probably going to close, and in five years, it'll be something else and no one will even know that it ever existed. I think if you don't document these things people forget really quick, you know?"
Ferry's persistence throughout the project – from securing permission to feature Beane to finding a home for the showing – paid off in positive reviews and unforgettable memories.
"You can't make this stuff up," Ferry said. "It all just worked out. The stars aligned."
The contemporary art collection, featuring esteemed hatmaker Vanilla Beane and her local shop Bené Millinery, had been more than two years in the making for Ferry, whose work to sell his vision and make it reality stretched well beyond the hours required to carefully craft the 40-plus pieces in oil, ink, watercolor and pastel.
On the eve of Beane's 100th birthday, a diverse crowd representing all corners of the District gathered to fete Beane, her shop and Ferry's work documenting a unique slice of life in the nation's capital.
"It was so cool to have everybody there celebrating this person and the fact that we crossed paths," said Ferry, a GW men's soccer alumnus who still holds the NCAA record for most assists in a season. "I don't think I ever could've expected to have something that ended up working out so successfully like that. It was just so much fun."
The Hats Off exhibition represented a breakthrough for Ferry, who represented the Buff and Blue from 1994-98 and earned a pair of fine art degrees from the university. His commemoration of Beane was highlighted by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday and featured in the Washington Post and other newspapers across the country.
Through the years, Ferry's projects have literally spanned coast-to-coast – from scenes of the San Juan Islands off Washington state to a series set in Bangor, Maine. It was particularly special to reach such a wide audience for a collection depicting his hometown.
More than anything, Ferry is thankful for the day that he finally decided to stop in to meet Beane after so many trips past Bené Millinery on family strolls around his Brightwood-Manor Park neighborhood.
"You make art about who you are," said Ferry, who is also in his eighth year as an art teacher and soccer coach at the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Md. "I'm from D.C. and part of D.C., and I made art about D.C. – And it really resonated with people."
At GW, Ferry was able to marry his two lifelong passions – art and soccer – and prove his mettle as a gifted creator, both in the studio and on the pitch.
Coming out of nearby Walt Whitman High School, Ferry followed his brother Matt to the Colonials. He'd go on to tally a program-record 45 assists, including an eye-popping 24 in 18 games as a redshirt junior in 1997 to set the NCAA mark.
Ferry took full advantage of a potent group of attackers in Ben Hatton, Sebastian Rodriguez and Omar Sigtryggsson on his record-breaking run, which included a five assist-effort in an 8-3 win over Fordham on Oct. 5, 1997.
More than two decades later, Ferry stands alone in the national record book, one clear of a four-way tie at 23.
"Of course, it's an honor to get some sort of national recognition for what you're able to bring to the table," said Ferry, whose 65 points rank 10th in program history. "It's easy to lose sight of, but I was a scholarship athlete. It was the reason I was able to go to GW.
"I always looked at it as the school was making an investment in me. They saw me as somebody that would carry the name of the school in a positive way, and I always felt this responsibility to pay that back."
Ferry also made the most of his experience as an art major, spending seven years in total at GW between the undergraduate and master's programs.
Along the way, he formed relationships on the D.C. art scene that remain vital to his career, both as a teacher and artist. For example, he met Skip Barnhart as a teenager through a Smithsonian art program before taking classes under him at GW. It was Barnhart who helped connect him with gallery neptune & brown owners Robert Brown and Christine Neptune.
"All of these people that have been so influential in my career, it all comes back to GW connections," said Ferry, who is a regular at men's soccer alumni events supporting the Colonials under his former teammate Craig Jones. "They've just continually advocated for me. That's really cool."
For a while, Ferry continued to balance both pursuits. He trained with D.C. United and enjoyed a successful rookie campaign with the Hershey Wildcats of the A League in 1999 before a back injury put an end to his pro career.
He returned from spinal fusion surgery 18 months later to play a final season with Hershey in 2001, but it became clear it was time to chart a new path.
"Trying to make a name for yourself in the art world is a really weird and difficult thing," Ferry said. "It's a marathon. If you think you're going to become some famous artist overnight, it just doesn't happen that way."
Ferry has kept plugging away. He's always on the lookout for the next project, finding time around teaching, coaching soccer and raising sons Paul and James with his wife Lauren to tap into his creative side.
As an artist, Ferry likes to experiment with different media, often illustrating scenes that pay homage to his family's Midwestern roots. The late American artist Andrew Wyeth is an inspiration.
"I end up making art about different places that are a part of my life that I find beautiful," Ferry said. "I kind of pop around and find something that I think is cool, and then I just try to squeeze every drop out of it."
For Hat's Off, Ferry dove into learning more about the unassuming shop down the street. He put in the time to really get to know Vanilla Beane and her family before getting to work.
He listened to her stories spanning more than 60 years as milliner during which a hobby into a trailblazing artform. She's famously outfitted civil rights leader Dr. Dorothy Height and poet Maya Angelou and had her headwear featured in the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. She's still going today, though by appointment only at 101.
"It's a really cool place in time that I wanted people to be able to see," Ferry said. "Because in a year or two chances are – sadly so – she's going to pass on, and then this shop's probably going to close, and in five years, it'll be something else and no one will even know that it ever existed. I think if you don't document these things people forget really quick, you know?"
Ferry's persistence throughout the project – from securing permission to feature Beane to finding a home for the showing – paid off in positive reviews and unforgettable memories.
"You can't make this stuff up," Ferry said. "It all just worked out. The stars aligned."
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