Following in the footsteps of renowned Utah artists David Dornan and Silvia and Paul Davis, Ben Steele has been granted the 2023 Governor’s Mansion Award by Governor Spencer Cox.

The Governor’s Mansion Artist Awards series has honored Utah’s visual, performing, and culinary artists at the historic Utah Governor’s Mansion since its inception in the late 1930s.

Originally conceived by Governor Henry H. Blood — who was purportedly looking to raise funds to secure a piano for the mansion — the artist awards have been upheld by Governors Michael Leavitt, Olene S. Walker, Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Gary R. Herbert, and Spencer J. Cox. The series traditionally features three events per year, and serves as a fundraiser for the historic Governor’s Mansion.

Steele received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing from the University of Utah in 2002. He credits his pursuit of art as a full time career to his participation in the Helper Art Workshops which taught him the practical training needed to succeed as an artist. Ben learned the entire process from stretching his own canvases to framing to attaining gallery representation. The most formative influence, he says, may have been from the city of Helper itself: a low-distraction, affordable home that offered the time and focus needed to hone his craft. Helper is still home to Ben, his wife Melanie, and their three sons. They love the community’s pride in their rich railroad and mining histories and how the locals trade stories about growing up attending each other’s churches. They describe it as a place where everybody feels at home.

Steele’s work is clever, often humorous, and technically rigorous. His artworks usually make a reference to art history, pop culture, even Utah iconography, like the Salt Flats, local barn yards, or Brigham Young. He explains he is the most inspired when his classical training reflects contemporary and conceptual ideas, creating relationships between the familiar and unfamiliar. His unique artistic style is contributing to Utah’s visual art landscape. 

Ben has been represented by the TROVE Gallery for 20 years, over this time we have had the pleasure of watching him grow his art career and become one of our most popular and sought after artists. His melding of art history and pop culture references never fail captivate his audience.