Modern Artist Profile - Ben Annett of Ben’s Lemonaid
/In conversation with Ben Annett of Ben’s Lemonaid, one of the many talented artists participating in the 2025 Mississauga Festival of Trees.
1. Tell us a bit about your art practice. What do you specifically do?
Through Ben’s Lemonaid, I create art from reclaimed materials, transforming discarded items into sculptural works. My practice focuses on using what already exists in the world: salvaged metal, old eavestroughs, burned-out light bulbs, and other discarded or abandoned materials. I keep my material sourcing as low-impact as possible. The only new things I buy are screws, occasionally some adhesive, and when necessary, safety-related hardware. I avoid paint in my work unless I need to protect wood in a spot that won’t be seen.
By working almost entirely with reclaimed materials, I aim to shift perspectives, showing that sustainability can spark innovation and that beauty can emerge from the most unexpected places.
2. What inspires you?
I’m inspired by recycling, treasure hunting, and the challenge of working with whatever the world throws my way. I feel the most comfortable making art from things that were headed for the landfill. Because I can’t go to the junk store, I’m constantly on the lookout for materials with my imagination working on what they could become. Sometimes I just can’t get what I want at all so I’ll have to change the plan to accommodate what’s available, that problem-solving is a big part of the challenge and tbh, the fun.
3. How do you approach a new project?
When starting a new project I get the basic plan in my head and just get started. I have a mental inventory of materials at hand and potential materials out in the world and fill in the gaps as I go. I start with a rough idea in my head and dive right in.
4. Describe the experience of working with CreativeHub 1352 in Mississauga on a commissioned artwork for the Festival of Trees.
Working with CreativeHub 1352 on the project has been my first time collaborating on a commissioned piece throughout its creation. For previous commissions, I would simply listen to what a client wanted and deliver the finished work with no feedback loop in between. I’ve always preferred working alone so that every idea comes from me. This project has helped me open up to collaboration.
At the midway check-in for the project, Jo Yetter, the program officer at CreativeHub, blew my mind by articulating the thoughts and feelings I was having about my piece much better than I could and it helped me understand the why and what I was feeling. Having to explain the technical aspects of my piece to Richard Posa, the installation technician for the exhibition, was challenging and would have been intimidating had I not looked him up before meeting. With his experience, he was able to help me take some of the danger out of my piece, which is something I struggle with as the materials I use and finish I find appealing leave safety by the wayside.
5. What excites you about Mississauga’s Festival of Trees?
I’m excited about the Festival of Trees because it celebrates two things I care deeply about: art and nature. My work is rooted in sustainability and reuse and most often depicts nature, so it feels like a perfect match.
I’m thrilled to have a whole new audience for my work. I’m based in London Ontario and being awful at marketing and promotion, my art doesn't often travel very far.
I’m also pretty happy to have my art displayed in such a lovely venue. CH 1352 held a walk through of the Small Arms Inspection Building in October which gave me the chance to see the building and surroundings… wow! I love the building, the old school banks of windows and construction are fantastic.
I brought my partner and our bikes along that day and we had the most wonderful adventure riding along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail.
6. What’s in store for 2026?
I can’t say for sure what’s in store for 2026. I’m hoping to be creating bigger and better and going farther and wider but it seems to me that nothing is for sure in this art game. My goal is to create large-scale public art: nature-inspired works on the sides of buildings, lobby installations that reach wide audiences, and pieces that spark conversations about reuse and resourcefulness. I want to show that we don’t always need new materials or perfect supplies, that innovation can come from making do, adapting,
and giving discarded objects a new purpose, rather than adding another layer to the landfill.
