Eugene Peart Bennett was born on December 20, 1921 in Central Point, graduated from Medford High School, and attended the University of Oregon as a music major before serving in the Navy.

An early interest in visual arts blossomed while in the Navy. Upon his discharge, he was accepted at The Art Institute of Chicago, where he received his Bachelors and Masters degrees. He taught at the Art Institute and at New Trier Township High School. In 1954 he moved to Europe for a year, staying primarily in Florence, while traveling to other areas of Italy and to France.

He returned to acclaim in Chicago, yet elected to return to the beauty and familiar landscape of the Rogue Valley in 1958. He taught art and worked with other artists to found the Rogue Valley Art Association and the Rogue Gallery in 1960. He also continued to exhibit in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. He became an advocate for the arts and a tireless supporter of local arts groups.

Eugene was truly a renaissance man. He composed music, including a piece used in an Oregon Shakespeare Festival production in 1940, and acted in a Shakespeare play that same year. His talent in the visual arts included watercolor and oil painting, collage, assemblage and sculpture – including sculptural poles that graced the entrance to the Oregon Pavilion at the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle. His interests extended to the community he lived in. He helped develop the Historic Preservation standards for Jacksonville, was the first chairman of the Jacksonville Preservation Commission, and served on other committees as well.

His achievements include a solo show at the Portland Art Museum while still a student at The Art Institute of Chicago. More recently, he was the first recipient of the Arts Council of Southern Oregon’s Lifetime Achievement Award, was featured on the Oregon Art Beat television show, and received the Governor’s Arts Award for having “significantly contributed to the growth and development of Oregon’s cultural life.”