Robert E. "Ned" Behnke (1948-1989) began painting while a student at Bellevue High School, and had a career as an artist, teacher, and advocate for the deaf community. Born deaf, Behnke helped found an arts program for deaf students at Cornish College of the Arts in 1974. He also taught art in the public schools through a Seattle Arts Commission program, and served on the board of the Community Service Center for for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Ned Behnke died at age 40 in 1989.

To honor the memory of their son, Behnke's family established the annual Neddy Artist Award in 1996. Funded by the Behnke Foundation, the Neddy gives an unrestricted monetary award to visual artists. Initially managed by Behnke's parents, the award has been stewarded by Cornish College of the Arts since 2011.

In this photo, Ned Behnke takes a break in his Seattle studio, where he was preparing for an upcoming show at the Foster/White gallery in Seattle.

Caption information source: Robert ‘Ned’ Behnke Dies, Seattle Times, March 26, 1989, p. B8
Caption information source: Behnke Foundation website at https://behnkefoundation.org/