At 18, Long followed his father's footsteps to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in Creative Writing under the guidance of his friend and advisor Reynolds Price.
Upon completing his University coursework at the insistence of his advisor Long moved to New York to immerse himself in the study of fine art.
In NYC, Long became a member of the Art Students League of New York,[1][2] studying under the guidance of such notable artists as Robert Beverly Hale and Frank Mason.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ben Long and some of his students painted wet plaster frescoes on the walls of the two historic Ashe County, North Carolina churches[1] that form Holy Communion Episcopal Parish.
In 2002, Ben Long received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.