Biography

Beth Bentley graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1983, receiving her BFA in Apparel Design. She worked as a fashion designer of women and children’s apparel for The Limited, Northern Isles, The Gap and Talbots as well as other small companies. Her work for these companies included travel abroad for style and fabric research as well as product development. She then branched out on her own to run a freelance design company, E. Bentley Design Studio, for ten years. In this venture, she designed sweaters and knits for the womenswear, menswear and childrenswear markets. Her customers included Talbots, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Carter’s, David Brooks, Susan Bristol and J. Jill. Her sweaters have been featured in Martha Steward Living. Beth has been teaching at Rhode Island School of Design in the Undergraduate, Continuing Ed. and Pre-College Programs since 2001, while still running her business. She closed her business in order to pursue a MFA in Textiles at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, which she received in May 2009, concentrating on machine knitting, textile printing and costume design. Some of her current artwork has been exhibited at The Fuller Museum in Brockton, MA, Smith College in Amherst, MA, Slaters Mill in Pawtucket, RI and on fiberscene.com. Beth is still teaching as an adjunct faculty in the Apparel Design Dept. at RISD and the Pre-College Dept and continues to create one of a kind garments machine knitting copper and natural fibers.

Beth Bentley

Assistant Professor
ebentley@risd.edu
401-454-6742

• BFA, Rhode Island School of Design
• MFA, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

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