Mike Bennett (artist)
Mike Bennett is an American visual artist based in Portland, Oregon. He studied art education and has worked as a preschool teacher.
Early life and education
Originally from Massachusetts, Bennett was raised in central Pennsylvania. In 2012, he studied animation, art education, computer design, and illustration at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.Career and projects
Bennett installed large plywood cartoon characters in 2019. In 2020, he partnered with Miller Paint to offer Earth Day kits. He also hosted a collection called Crypto Zoo outside his house in 2020. Bennett's A to Zoo and A, B, Sea projects were exhibited at Director Park. Bioluminescent Beasts was displayed at Pioneer Place in 2022 as part of the Portland Winter Light Festival. Dinolandia was exhibited in downtown Portland in 2022.In 2023, Bennett hid fifty artworks for people to find as part of a Zelda-themed scavenger hunt. He also hosted a moving sale and released Halloween-themed yard art in 2023. Painted Pines was exhibited at the Lloyd Center in early 2024. The Cool Creature Crawl was held at the Oregon Zoo in 2024.
Bennet contributed a plywood work to Robot Alley. He also designed MidCity SmashedBurger's mascot, who appears in the company's logo. He opened Wonderwood in 2022. In 2022, Bennett was recognized as a distinguished alumni of his high school for his work in the visual arts. He was a Portland TedX speaker in April 2025. Bennett opened a cartoon aquarium called the Portland Aquarium, in the former Public Domain Coffee space in downtown Portland later in the year. He also designed a scarf for the Portland Timbers and painted the world's longest dachshund at his studio. In 2026, he launched a podcast called The Zooquarium Podcast, which is co-hosted by Chanel Hason.