Alone in Warsaw, by William Schneider

The First Place Award and $4,000 was given to Michael Budden of New Jersey for his piece Foggy Evening, Brooklyn, a night scene of the Brooklyn Bridge. Second Place went to a painting of a pensive young woman called Alone in Warsaw, done by William Schneider of Illinois. Jonathan Stasko of New York received Third Place for Awaiting the Decision, his portrait of a Native American tribal member. The second- and third-place winners received $2,000 and $1,000 respectively. Christensen also awarded Honorable Mention awards to two landscape paintings, one to Betsy Arvidson of New York City and the other to Jennifer Hoffman of Jackson, Wyoming.

Lift the Veil, by Stanka Kordic

According to Shirley Hutchins, the gallery director, the show is a popular one for both established artists and those fairly new to the scene. "The prestige of being in a show at the Bennington is something artists can put on their resumes," she says, "and as the award money is more than in many competitions around the country, this draws in the established artists. Another big draw for the show is the guest jurors. Past jurors have included Albert Handell, Huihan Liu, and Sherry McGraw. Having such talent accept their work into a show such as this is a real honor for those that make it in."

The exhibition will be at the Bennington until September 23, 2012. For more information, contact them at 802-442-7158 or view the show online at www.TheBennington.org.