Because Talent Doesn’t Come in Pink and Blue

This hasn’t been the best month for finding good news. I found the article I am including today, but I’ve been sick and I didn’t have time to look into at more than a cursory level. Still, there is enough to like about this story to include it for #WATWB.

“The Pittsburgh Foundation has established the Bennett Prize to recognize and encourage emerging women artists who paint in the figurative realist style.

The biennial award comprises $50,000 and a solo museum exhibition. Art collectors Steven Alan Bennett and Elaine Melotti Schmidt of San Antonio, Texas, endowed a $3 million fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation to ensure that the prize will be awarded every two years in perpetuity.”

Through this generous gift, the couple establishes a legacy associated with a style of art that they like, and they will be helping female artists for many years to come. They are driven both by their appreciation for art and artists, but they also have a goal to correct an imbalance in the art world:

“The collectors hope that the prize will call attention to the winners and finalists, giving them opportunity to join the largely male artist presence in museums and galleries. Mr. Bennett also believes figurative realism is becoming increasingly popular after having fallen out of favor in the latter half of the 20th century, and he would like such works to be seen by a wider audience.”

I wish I knew more about the state of women artists and about Figurative Realism, but I’ll have to take their word for it. There is one thing that they donors said that I absolutely agree with:

“Although the digital age has introduced art to a wider audience, “nothing — nothing with a capital N — beats being able to see a painting face to face. Nothing, nothing, nothing,” Mr. Bennett said.

This is the eleventh month of the “We are the World” Blogfest journey to spread the message of light, hope and love. The founders have challenged participants to share something from the positive side of humanity. This month’s co-hosts, Shilpa Garg, Peter Nena, Eric Lahti, Roshan Radhakrishnan and Inderpreet Kaur Uppal, welcome participants and encourage all to join in during future months.

#WATWB is a blog hop on the last Friday of every month. Click HERE to check out the intention and rules of the blogfest and feel free to sign up at any time. You are always welcome!