About the Artist

Carolyn Bennett

Carolyn Bennett was born and raised in upstate New York. Her father was a dentist and guitar maker. Her mother is an accomplished porcelain painter and teacher. Carolyn earned a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts from New York University and a Masters degree in Art History and Art Education from the State University of New York.

Carolyn's fascination with kaleidoscopes began as a young child. At the age of nine she made her first kaleidoscope from instructions in The Book of Knowlege, an old encyclopedia.

In 1973, while teaching high school art, Carolyn began to make kaleidoscopes again. An interest that began as a hobby quickly became a passion. In 1978 she began her career as a full time kaleidoscope artist.

The first studio was in Carolyn's home. Since 1978 C. Bennett Scopes has grown and relocated seven times. In 2004 the company moved to its current location in Mantua, New Jersey.

This move brought more than a change in location; Carolyn decided it was time to restructure the business. Several designs have been licensed to Big Muddy Woodworks, a kaleidoscope maker in Arkansas. Now Carolyn is concentrating on Special Occasion scopes, Liquid Suspensions and Limited Edition Signature pieces.

Carolyn considers kaleidoscopes a contemporary art form and continues to do extensive research and experimentation.Each of her kaleidoscopes is designed to be an interesting piece of sculpture, with the exterior as intriguing as the interior.She approaches the inner image as if it were a painting, combining colors and shapes to create complex and infinite patterns. The discovery of an ever unfolding world of color, art, philosophy, and beauty within the kaleidoscope continues to inspire her.

In 2003, Carolyn was granted a United States patent for the "The Pop-Up Kaleidoscope". This ingenious invention folds flat and opens to become a working kaleidoscope. She has also been granted a United States patent for the Scopelens, a kaleidoscopic attachment for a 35 mm camera.

Published by Workman Publishing in 1994, Carolyn's Kids' Book of Kaleidoscopes, is currently in its sixth printing, with over 170,000 copies sold.

In 1996 the Futura Kaleidoscope received the prestigious Niche Award from Niche Magazine.

In 1998 she was the recipient of the Special Achievement Award for Continuing Contributions of Excellence given by the Brewster Society, an organization for kaleidoscope artists and collectors.

In 2003 Carolyn became one of the directors of the Brewster Kaleidoscope Society. This international organization provides a forum for artists, collectors and retailers to promote kaleidoscopes as an art form.

People all over the globe enjoy C. Bennett Scopes. Numerous actors, politicians and dignitaries have purchased or received kaleidoscopes designed by Carolyn Bennett. The company has been featured many times in magazine articles and on TV shows.

Carolyn Bennett creates fresh and exciting scopes using modern materials to enhance and expand a keen sense of design. The C. Bennett Scopes line of kaleidoscopes has something for every taste.