S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 3 A pril 13 wasanauspiciousdayforwomenartists.The call forentriesfortherecentlycreatedBennettPrize opened, heraldingwhatartcollectorsStevenAlan Bennettand Dr. ElaineMelotti Schmidtbelievewill be a new era of respect,recognitionandfinancial rewardforwomen whose paintings realisticallydepictthehumanfigure. Lastyear,Bennett andMelotti Schmidt,ofSan Antonio,Texas, who areamongthetopcollectorsoffigurativerealismin the United States,endoweda$3 millionfund atThePittsburgh Foundation to ensurethatThePrizewill beawardedeverytwoyearsin perpetuity. “Figurativerealistpaintersportraythediversehuman form,andhave muchtosayinasocietystrugglingtounderstandhuman differences, includingrace,genderandsocial status,”says Bennett. TheBennettPrizeisalsothelargesteverofferedsolely to women painters.Onewinnerwill beawarded$50,000 anda solo exhibition of herpaintingsatMuskegonMuseumofArtinMichigan.Also,10 finalists willreceive$1,000 andwill havetheirwork includedin a group exhibitionandcatalogatthemuseum.Thesolo andgroup exhibitionsareslatedtotourthecountry. It’sallpartof thecouple’sgrandvisiontoelevatethe increasingly populargenreoffigurativerealismwhilealsoaddressing unequal treatmentofwomenbymuseumsandgalleries,which are notorious forpayingfarlessforartworksbywomenandforcollecting works bywomenartistsatamuchslowerpacethanworksby men. “Ourintentistoshowcasetheworkoftalentedwomen figurative paintersandenablethemtotaketheirrightful place among the most celebratedpaintersworkingtoday,”saysMelotti Schmidt. “We’ll knowwehave succeededwhenthereareasmanypaintingsby women asmeninmuseums,commandingthesamepricesandcriticalesteem.” Thecallforentriesremainsopenuntil Sept.28.A jury willselect the finalistsandwinner.Moreinformationisat www.thebennettprize.org. Critical Needs Alert raises $1.1 million to curb food insecurity in Pittsburgh Smallfoodpantrieson the front linesof addressing foodinsecurity in the Pittsburgh region got a majorboost fromsouthwestern Pennsylvania residentswho helpedraise a total of $1.1 million in The Pittsburgh Foundation’s CriticalNeedsAlert online fundraising event on May 1. CriticalNeedsAlertsraise fundsfora significant needfacing the region.These alerts relate directly to the Foundation’s100 Percent Pittsburghorganizing principle,whichensures that Foundation resourcesprovide opportunities forthe one-thirdof residentswho live at or near the federalpoverty line to get accessto the revitalizedregionaleconomy.TheU.S.Department of Agriculture definesfoodinsecurity asthe condition in which daily accessto nutritiousfood islimitedoruncertain. Why were food pantriesselected thisyear? “We heardfromsmall,community-basedfood pantriesthat they were experiencing increasing demandfrompeople who are employed,often in more than one job,but are stillunable to make endsmeet,”saysPittsburgh Foundation President andCEO MaxwellKing.“Particularly alarming isthe foodproviders’ finding that one in seven Allegheny County residents,andonein sixchildren,are uncertain where they’llfindtheir next meal.” The$1.1milliontotalincludes$522,500from 2,480 donationsmade by the publicduring the 16-hour event run by The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.Another$600,000wasprovidedbythe Foundation anditsdonors.Thisteamapproach works:to date,the Foundation’sfive Critical NeedsAlertshave raisednearly $5 million for food,housing,transportation,mental-physical health care andchildcare. “Once again,southwestern Pennsylvanianshave shown that they believe in investing theircharita- ble dollarsin helping theirneighborsmeet basic needs,”saidKing. ThisdetailofDianneGall’s2017oil-on-linen painting,EverybodyKnows,whichisinthe Bennetts’artcollection,isanextraordinary exampleoffigurativerealism. WOMEN ARTISTS HEED THE CALL