Ben Freedman was born in New Orleans and worked as an Art Professor at WVU until his retirement. Ben was a prolific artist his entire life creating work that spanned many styles over the course of over 60 years. Galactic Panther co-owner Eli Pollard began exhibiting Ben’s work as a teenager and eventually adopted Ben and his wife Flo as grandparents, helping to care for them until their final days. Pollard has also assisted in overseeing the placement of Ben’s artwork and personal collection of African masks into significant museum collections. Pollard now handles the art portion of Ben’s estate and continues to exhibit his work as he has done for most of his life now.