In 2014, the Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation partnered with Jersey City teachers and art educators to launch a high school summer residency, Sol Studio. This partnership’s goal is to support young students and give them the space, materials and guidance necessary to develop true artist portfolios.
About Sol Studio:
Sol Studio’s mission is to provide art students with resources to encourage them to fully explore their individualities and cultures in the development of their portfolios. During Sol Studio’s annual summer residency at ESKFF, students are provided materials, workspace, and college-level and graduate mentors. Students and mentors work closely together in a shared studio space, giving each the opportunity to collaborate and evolve their individual practices. Sol Studio is a not just a place through which young artists walk; it is a place where they come to discuss their ideas, to process what they see and hear, and to relish in what they create. It is a place where they leave with a deeper understanding of what it means to be an artist.
Ben Fernandez, was a former participant of SOL Studio back in 2019. His art donation, a mixed media triptych, Reaching for Inclusion, was sold. Since then it has found its home at the ESKFF NEST in Woodstock, NY.
For the first time since it was sold Ben was able to see his piece in person while visiting the ESKFF NEST. Run by Stefanie Frank, Eileen Kaminsky's daughter, the ESKFF NEST is a 23-acre refuge for the arts and healing community in offering nature-based experiences through personal growth and social connection.
Image above of Ben Fernandez, Courtesy of Ben Fernandez
Image above of Ben Fernandez & ESKFF NEST Founder, Stefanie Frank Courtesy of Ben Fernandez
Image Courtesy of Ben Fernandez