Berks groups to honor female artists with a Celebration of Women in the Arts

Berks County arts organizations have formed a partnership to make sure female artists in every genre, from local to international, are recognized throughout this special year with a Celebration of Women in the Arts. According to David Gross, executive director of the RSO, the idea for the celebration began with the Bennett Prize, created by San Antonio art collectors Steven and Elaine Bennett, whom Gross met and befriended during his years as CEO of the San Antonio Symphony. In February 2018, Gross said, Elaine Bennett visited Gross and his wife, and they took her to the Reading Public Museum, where they met with the museum's director and CEO, John Graydon Smith, in the hope of bringing the inaugural Bennett Prize exhibit here. One result of that meeting was that the museum will feature the exhibit, entitled "Rising Voices," for 12 weeks, beginning Feb. 22. The exhibit is made up of 25 paintings by the competition's 10 finalists, including the winner, Aneka Ingold.