BIOGRAPHY
 
Ben Allanoff is an artist based in Joshua Tree, CA, working primarily with plant material, found objects, steel, and wire. His work ranges in size from tabletop to large scale installations for public parks, botanical gardens, and other indoor and outdoor spaces. His background includes fillmmaking and chairing an environmental non-profit.He grew up near Philadelphia, PA and graduated from Duke University.
 
ABOUT THE ART  

Using a combination of figuration, abstraction, and calligraphic influences, Allanoff makes work that is responsive to wind, light, gravity, time, human interaction, and perspective, so that they are highly variable, and do not exist in a static state. He has lead many collaborative projects, working with with children, seniors, prison inmates, horticulturists, park rangers, Zen priests, and fire fighters, among many others.  Favorite themes include fertility and the interplay between the spiritual, psychological, and physical worlds.  His work is informed by a deep connection to nature and a drive to give form to the intangible forces that animate our world.  His work encourages connections among people, between humans and the rest of nature, and between our conscious minds and other less frequently accessed corners of our psyches.  


C.V.

Site-specific Installations
2025   "Bowing Kokeshi"
            Togatta, Miyagi, Japan
2025   "Bricks" and "Dream of Hokkaido"
             at the Tenjinyama Art Studio, Sapporo, Japan
2025   “Gassho 3”
            commission for the Joshua Treenial, Joshua Tree, CA
2024  "Cloud" permanent installation
            Highway Sanctuary Art Center,  Yucca Valley, CA
2024   "Taos Altar"  Rio Fernando Park, Taos, NM
2024   "Supernova"  Participatory woven stick installation 
            Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center, Twentynine Palms, CA
2024   "Rustfest"  Participatory music and art festival
             Simi Dabah Sculpture Park, Joshua Tree, CA
2023    “Sun Shelter #1 – Giant Loom”  funded by the California Arts Council
2023   “Marin County Flags”   Marin County, CA
2022   “Nashville Birds”  Commission from the Nashville Tree Foundation.
2022   “Outer Space”
             stage design for Desert Daze music festival
2022    “Woven Windows”
             Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center, Twentynine Palms, CA
            Participatory woven stick installation.
2022    “Wildlflowers”
              Sculptural  installation featured at Intersect Palm Springs art fair
2021    “Art Park: Furstwurld”
             Furstwurld, Joshua Tree, CA
             Dozens of sculptures exhibited at a temporary outdoor sculpture park
2021   “Asterisk”
            Large scale assemblage for Mojaveland art park.  Twentynine Palms, CA.
2020    “Gassho 2”
            Sky’s the Limit Astronomy and Nature Park, Twentynine Palms, CA
            monumental sun dial and solar calendar installation
2020   “Couplet”
            Art Queen Outdoor Art Gallery, Joshua Tree, CA
2019   “Temple Garden”
            Mojave Desert Land Trust.  Joshua Tree, CA.
            Solo show featuring a large-scale collaborative installation .  
2018    “Gassho”
            Morris Arboretum.  University of Pennsylvania.  Philadelphia, PA
             monumental sun dial/solar calendar 
2018   “Woven Branches”
            Descanso Gardens.  La Canada Flintridge, CA
            Temporary installation 
2018    “Perch”
             Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area/National Park Service.   
             Agoura Hills, CA
            Large scale sculpture 
2018    “Pick Up Sticks”
            Adkins Arboretum.  Ridgley, MD
            Interactive installation  
2017    “Mara Mandala”
            Joshua Tree Retreat Center.  Joshua Tree, CA
            Large scale kinetic installation  
2017   “Pyramid”
            Joshua Tree Retreat Center.  Joshua Tree, CA
            Architectural installation  
2017    “Peace Factory”
             Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area/National Park     
             Service.    
             Agoura Hills, CA
            Architectural installation  
2017   “Skyfish”
            Joshua Tree Music Festival.  Joshua Tree, CA
            Large scale kinetic sculpture 
2016    “Estamos Aqui”   
            The Gardens at Lake Merritt,  Oakland, CA
             Large scale kinetic installation 
2016  “Flow”   
            Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. 
​            San Marino, CA
            Temporary installation 
2016    “Cloud Chamber: Memories, Dreams, Reflections”   
            Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area/National Park
            Service.  Agoura Hills, CA 
            Kinetic installation
2016  “Wood / Trees”    
            Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area/ National Park
            Service.    
            Agoura Hills, CA 
            Large scale installation  
2015    “Cradle of the Bodhisattva”  
            Zen Center of Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA
             Permanent installation  
2015    “Nesting Song Part 2”
            Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden
            Large scale kinetic sculpture  

Solo and Two-Person Shows
2025   "Steel Boulders"  Joshua Tree National Park Association. Yucca Valley. CA
2023    Saloon Salon  Morongo Valley, CA  “Rust And Nails”  
2023    Black Rock Art Gallery, at Joshua Tree National Park, in Yucca Valley, CA.
            “Rust”
2022   “Rustfest”  Joshua Tree, CA
             Outdoor art festival
2022    Mesa College Art Gallery, San Diego, CA. Two person show with A.M.                                 Stump,   “Militarized Desert: Life and Death in the Mojave”
2018   29 Palms Art Gallery.  Twentynine Palms, CA   
 
Group Shows
2025   Joshua Treenial, Joshua Tree, CA
2025   Grossmont College, San Diego, CA
2022   Modern Visual Arts Gallery, Bethlehem, PA
2021   Joshua Tree National Park Art Expo (Juried)
2021   Mazamar Gallery. Pioneertown, CA.
2021   The Loft at Liz’s, West Hollywood, CA. Small group show.
2021   Gallery 62, Joshua Tree, CA   Installation.
2021    Arcade Projects, online group show curated by Julie Rico
2020   Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA.  Juried group show.
2020   Launch LA. Juried group show.
2020   Joshua Tree Art Gallery, group show.
2020   Palos Verdes Art Center, Palos Verdes, CA.  Juried group show.
2020   Asher Grey Gallery, Venice, CA.  featured artist. 
2019   Joshua Tree National Park Art Expo. Juried group show.
2019   Backspace Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Juried group show “Beyond                                        Redemption”.
2019   Joshua Tree Art Gallery. Joshua Tree, CA
2019   Palms Spring Artists Council.  Juried show at the Palm Springs Art
            Museum
2018   TAG Gallery. West Hollywood, CA.  Juried group show
2018   Joshua Tree Art Gallery. Joshua Tree, CA
2018   Palm Springs Arts Council.  Juried group show at the Palm Springs Art                              Museum.
2018   Yucca Valley Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. Yucca Valley, CA
            Three sculptures featured in the venue’s inaugural show.
2017   Joshua Tree Art Gallery.  Joshua Tree, CA 
 
Programs, Workshops, and Residencies
2024   Paseo Project, Taos, NM. Residency,
2023   Can Serrat, Catalonia, Spain. Residency.
2023   O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA.  Residency.
2023   Groundwork Arts, Twentynine Palms, CA  “Wire Sculpture” workshop
2023   Joshua Tree National Park – collage workshop
2022   Escuela Superior de Artes de Yucatan, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
            Collaborative installation  
2022   “Woven Windows”
             Lead artist for collaborative community art project funded by California                             Arts Council
2021   Joshua Tree National Park Art Expo
            “Wire Play” participatory workshop and installation
2020   “Artist’s Tea”
            Joshua Tree National Park, National Park Service
            Talk and hands-on workshop
2020   “Wire Sculpture”
            online community class for Twentynine Palms Art Gallery
2019   “Gateless Gates” 
             Rancho La Puerta. Tecate, Mexico.
            Collaborative site-specific installation  
2019   “Arc”
            Mojave Desert Land Trust.  Joshua Tree, CA.
            Large scale collaborative installation  
2019   “The Weaving Project”
            Descanso Gardens.  La Canada Flintridge, CA
            Large scale collaborative installation  
 
Publications
March 2023      Millennial Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere “Inside Out”
March 2016      Tricycle Magazine  “Cradle of the Bodhisattva”
 
Education
1982-1984     University of Pennsylvania 
1984               Duke University   B.A., cum laude
 
Other
2023   recipient of a project grant from California Arts Council, as part of the
           “California Creative Corps”
 
2006-2015
Chair of environmental non-profit, the Topanga Creek Watershed Committee. Worked with elected officials, government agencies, businesses, and the public to minimize the negative impacts of human activity on an environmentally rich and sensitive ecosystem.