Enella Benedict

Enella Benedict (December 21, 1858 – April 6, 1942) was an American realism and landscape painter. She taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and was a founder and director for nearly 50 years for the Art School at the Hull House.

Early life and education Enella Benedict was born in Lake Forest, Illinois,

Benedict attended Lake Forest University, where she studied painting and drawing and was a junior in 1876.

She studied art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League of New York. She then traveled to Paris, France, to study at the Académie Julian. Despite being at a prestigious academy, as a female student, she received less rigorous training and was charged more for tuition compared to male students. As a woman, she was often isolated from other students.

Career Benedict made oil and watercolor portrait, figure, landscapes and urban scene paintings.

In 1892, she became the founder and director of the Art School at Hull House.

Benedict lived at Hull House, as did Jane Addams, and supported the Art School program for almost 50 years, teaching clay modeling, drawing, painting and lithography. She managed the artist-in-residence program and other teachers. The art program, led by social reformer Benedict, was intended to offer education and cultural opportunities to disadvantaged neighborhood residents, having promoting some labor professions as art forms, such as textile fields. Benedict created opportunities for artists to exhibit their works, including the Art Institute of Chicago. Reported in Pots of Promise: Mexicans and Pottery at Hull-House, 1920-40: "In proportion to enrollment, there probably have been more exhibiting artists who started in its classes than in most other schools in the country."

While at Hull House, she also taught at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago,

Benedict exhibited her work at the Palace of Fine Arts, the Illinois Building, and The Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Her work was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago given by the Art Students League of Chicago An art gallery at Hull House was dedicated in her name to promote the work of its artists In 1938 a retrospective was held of her work was held at Benedict Gallery. Brittany Children, exhibited in 1893 Columbian World's Exposition, Counting the Ships, exhibited in 1893 Columbian World's Exposition Greek Easter Procession on Halstead Street (Chicago, Illinois), pastel, 1907, Annual American Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago Landscape Old Stories, exhibited in 1893 Columbian World's Exposition Young Boy at Work