RISING STARS

The top 10 finalists of the Bennett Prize 4.0 reflect on being selected as candidates for the prestigious award and their visions for the future.

- SARAH GIANELLI

Patrons of the arts and founders of the Bennett Prize, Steven Alan Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt.

Over 800 artists competed for this year's iteration of the Bennett Prize—the $50,000 biennial award for women painters of figurative realism. An all-female jury was tasked with whittling down the applicants to 10 finalists who met the criteria of technical skill, and the ability to make a statement or evoke emotion. The honors went to Olivia Chigas, Nimah Gobir, Ambrin Ling, Jane Philips, Audrey Rodriguez, Abbey Rosko, Nicole M. Santiago, Amy Werntz, Helena Wurzel and Rei Xiao.

Established by art collectors Steven Alan Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt in 2018, and now in its fourth cycle, the prize is designed to propel the careers of women artists and help them reach their full creative potential. “As in the prior three cycles, we’ve been very fortunate to have a diverse group of artists enter the competition,” says Schmidt. “The work is never predictable [and] we continue to be struck by the extent to which changes in society are reflected in the work. Our society’s cultural values and experiences continue to change at a rapid pace. This group of finalists adeptly captured our new world in powerful ways that creatively impact the viewer. Figures are just the starting point for scenarios and depictions that reflect the developments in our society. In this sense, figuration is a mechanism or a tool and not an end in itself.”

The winner of the Bennett Prize (and the recipient of an additional $10,000 award) will be announced on May 15 at Michigan’s Muskegon Museum of Art, where the finalists’ works will remain on view through August 24 before embarking on a national tour.