The Bennett Prize: Celebrating Great Women Painters

The winner of the 2025 women figurative realist painters competition was announced in May at the Muskegon Museum of Art.
The Bennett Prize: Celebrating Great Women Painters
The “Round 4” Bennett Prize award ceremony with founders (C) Steven Bennett and Elaine Schmidt at the Muskegon Museum of Art, Mich. on May 15, 2025. Courtesy of Brett Holverstott
Updated:
0:00

Steven Bennett was not blessed with a beautiful singing voice, but that doesn’t stop him from breaking into song when emotion swells—particularly when moved to show public affection for his wife, Elaine Schmidt.

Instead, he was gifted with a good eye and a love for art that he shares with Schmidt. The two are self-described “full-time art collectors” and have spent 16 years orchestrating a program to propel the careers of women artists and introduce a new generation of art enthusiasts to figurative realism.

Brett Holverstott
Brett Holverstott
Author
Brett Holverstott is an architect, author, and owner of the Figure Ground Art Gallery, offering fine art in the genre of contemporary realism since 2021. His work can be found via Profane Art and Profane Science on Substack, and he is the author of the book "The End of Fire." Find his writings on EndOfFire.com