02/12/2026
✨ Lincoln City Fellow Spotlight — RuBen Permel ✨
We’re honored to highlight — an interdisciplinary storyteller & artist whose creative life has spanned stage, costume design, painting, photography, puppetry, and more. Born in Virginia, RuBen began making art with an 8-color crayon box and has since built a remarkable career both on and offstage.
For over 30 years he’s worked across the U.S. and Canada, including 16 years leading teams and creating with MGM Resorts and Cirque du Soleil.
RuBen’s work brings together visual impact and lived experience — from dynamic costumes and stage designs to award-winning paintings and evocative photography. He believes that doing what you’re passionate about is not a job but a calling, and his art reflects a lifetime of curiosity, craft, and generosity.
We’re grateful for RuBen’s voice in the Lincoln City Fellowship community and for the way his practice inspires wide-open creative possibility and wonder. 🌟