Bennett Brien was born in 1957 in Belcourt, North Dakota. He received his BFA and MFA degrees in sculpture at the University of North Dakota. Brien’s work incorporates his heritage and reflects pride in Native American traditions.
Well known throughout the region as a sculptor, Brien’s public sculptures can be found at the police station, the University of North Dakota, and Altru hospital in Grand Forks; the Federal Building, the North Dakota State Game and Fish Building, and other sites on State Capitol grounds in Bismarck; and at the University of Minnesota—Crookston. Brien is perhaps best known for his Sioux logo design, which was used by the University of North Dakota for a decade before the Sioux logo was permanently retired.
Several of Brien's works were included in the national award-winning book, Storytelling Time: Native North American from the Collections at the University of North Dakota, which was published by University of North Dakota Art Collections in association with Hudson Hills Press in 2010.