“Beautiful, amusing, haunting, mystifying, celebratory, and surprising, these artworks invite closer examination of the artists’ perspectives and offer viewers an opportunity to evaluate their own lives, experiences, and perceptions of the world.” – Art Martin, Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the of Muskegon Museum of Art

Rising Voices 2: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters features work by the finalists of the 2021 and 2019 Bennett Prize, 11 women artists presenting a diverse range of approaches and themes. The Bennett Prize, created in 2018, awards $50,000 to a woman artist to create her own solo exhibition of figurative realist paintings, which then travels the country. The Prize propels the careers of women painters who have not yet realized full professional recognition, empowering new artists and those who have painted for many years. The Prize expands opportunities for the public, who may not be familiar with figurative realist painting, to learn more about the creative vision of talented women painters in this increasingly popular genre. In 2018, the inaugural year of The Prize, there were 647 entries. In 2020 and 2022, the number of entries continues to grow.

The paintings of Rising Voices 2 are by the 2021 Bennett Prize winner Ayana Ross, 2019 winner Aneka Ingold, alongside paintings by all other 2021 finalists: Sophia-Yemisi Adeyemo-Ross, Tanmaya Bingham, Chloe Chiasson, June Glasson, Holly Keogh, Lavely Miller, Rebecca Orcutt, Su Su, and Amy Werntz.

Steven Alan Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt, of San Antonio, Texas, established The Bennett Prize in 2016, endowing a $3 million fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation to ensure that The Prize will be awarded every two years in perpetuity. Schmidt and Bennett are among the country’s top collectors of figurative realist art. Their aim is to boost the careers of women figurative realist painters who have yet to reach full professional recognition and to bring figurative realist painting to a wider audience.

“We continue to be gratified by the increasing reach of The Prize,” Bennett said. “We understand that we are exposing, and being exposed to, a new, deep and rich vein of talent that otherwise might not have come into view.”

The 2021 year's four-member jury included prominent figurative painters Alyssa Monks and Katie O'Hagan, as well as Moore and Bennett. They selected the winner and the nine other finalists.

For full details, including information on each of the 10 finalists, please visit: www.thebennettprize.org