Designing a Creative Life

Kayla Voigt, Colby News, January 4, 2023

Most architects approach their work thinking about what they will build. Helen Ann Bennett ’22 thinks about what is missing.

And she learned that approach from the best. Bennett landed the internship of a lifetime her junior year working with famed designer, sculptor, and architect Maya Lin through Colby’s Lunder Institute for American Art. Known for striking, minimalist works like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Lin designed a multimedia memorial to biodiversity loss titled What Is Missing? that was displayed at the Greene Block + Studios in downtown Waterville.

Bennett, along with environmental studies major Cal Waichler ’21, spent a year collaborating with Lin and her team to build a conceptual timeline as part of the memorial, researching extinction events, legislative changes, and conservation efforts in the state of Maine. “It was such an amazing opportunity,” said Bennett. “Working collaboratively on a research project for this memorial was such an incredible learning experience for me. I wanted to make sure we accurately captured her vision.”

Now, she works as Lunder Special Assistant to the Director at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass., crafting executive communications in her first post-graduate role. That’s no surprise to Jessamine Batario, Colby’s Linde Family Foundation Curator of Academic Engagement and Bennett’s academic advisor for the Lin project.

“It was absolutely clear to me that Helen is a special student,” said Batario. “She really cares, and her engagement is so thoughtful and genuine.”