Ben Freeman '13 (he/him/his) is an artist, educator, and interfaith chaplain who believes that nurturing the inner child is key to spiritual well-being and collective growth. He is a member of the Glitter Goddess Collective a Providence and New York-based community of artists, educators, counselors/therapists, and healers dedicated to embodying justice through art, play, and processes of mindful creation. As Glitter Goddesses, we ask what the world would be like if all people understood themselves as artists, as agents of transformation in their own lives and in society. Ben comes alive as a facilitator of playful, critically reflective spaces of learning in which people can come to know themselves, and their place within ecosystems of social change, more authentically.

As a Practitioner in Residence at the Swearer Center, Ben will offer programs that invite students, staff, and members of the Community Partner Network to engage in creative process together, exploring how the vulnerability and commitment to the unknown inherent in collective creation might help us de-mechanize the way we show up in society and rehearse for an anti-oppressive, liberatory way of being. He will also offer consultation on religious literacy and how nondenominational spiritual care might be threaded into the daily life of organizations fighting for social change. Ultimately, Ben hopes to collaborate with the Swearer Center community in nurturing the further development of his graduate thesis, an interactive text designed to support people in healing their relationship with the inner child, toward becoming a published handbook/curriculum for this type of work.

Office Hours: Thursdays 2-4 PM EST, Fridays 12-2 PM EST, and by appointment. Click here to book a time slot.