Take advantage of these art and plein air painting events and opportunities from our 2023 Ultimate Guide to Painting Events and Organizations.
(We want to include your plein air painting events! Don’t see your group listed here? Contact our marketing team to learn how to advertise your plein air painting events and more with Plein Air Today.)
Colorado
20th Annual Telluride Plein Air
Dates: June 28-July 4, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Sheridan Arts Foundation
Venue: Sheridan Opera House, Telluride
Format: Juried
Award Total: $15,000
Contact: Ronnie Palamar
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 970.728.6363
Website: www.telluridepleinair.com
The Sheridan Arts Foundation hosts 20-25 nationally renowned plein air artists in beautiful Telluride, Colorado, for the 20th year in 2023 to paint the stunning landscape and historic architecture. The Telluride Plein Air Festival has become an indispensable part of Telluride’s Independence Day festivities, allowing locals and tourists alike to observe some of the nation’s top plein air artists at work. The festival culminates in a three-day sale in the center of the historic downtown.
Maryland
Paint Annapolis 2023
Dates: June 4-11, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Maryland Federation of Art, Inc.
Venue: Circle Gallery
Format: Combination
Juror of Awards: Suzie Baker, Selection Juror; Mark Karnes, Awards Juror
Award Total: $15,000
Contact: Ann Cole
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.paintannapolis.org
For over 20 years, Paint Annapolis has been the premier painting event for this sailing town, bringing the community together to share in the beauty of painting outdoors. Painting this year will take place from June 4-11, starting with a Quick Draw at the City Dock. Paint Annapolis has something for everyone — from artist to art lover to collector. We are excited to see you for an exciting week of painting our historic streets.
13th Annual Mountain Maryland Plein Air Competition & Exhibition
Dates: June 12-17, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Allegany Arts Council
Venue: Cumberland
Contact: Julie Westendorff
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.alleganyartscouncil.org
Massachusetts
8th Annual Cuttyhunk Plein Air Festival
Dates: June 17 (weather date: June 18)
Sponsoring Organization: Marion Art Center and the Gosnold Cultural Council
Jurors: Pamela Hoss, Jay Ryan, Bob Smith
Website: marionartcenter.org/cuttyhunk-plein-air
Festival founder Teri Bordenave welcomes this new partnership between the MAC and the GCC and looks forward to this year’s event: “I am delighted about this new collaboration and how this partnership will strengthen and sustain this popular regional cultural event. This is a great way forward for the Plein Air Festival.” The goals in creating the Cuttyhunk Plein Air Festival, now in its eighth year, were to introduce artists to the beauty of the island, to encourage them to return, to provide an engaging cultural event for residents and visitors, and to support island businesses during the shoulder season.
Plus: June 13, Plein Air Days at Munro Preserve; The Marion Art Center is pleased to partner with the Mattapoisett Land Trust to present Plein Air Days at Munro Preserve in Mattapoisett. Artists are invited to paint, sketch, photograph, write, or create in any form on site.
Michigan
Paint Grand Traverse
Date: June 18-24, 2023
Opening Reception: June 23, 2023
Sponsoring Organization & Venue: Crooked Tree Arts Center, Traverse City
Format: Combination
Contact: Kristi Wodek
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 231.941.9488
Website: www.paintgrandtraverse.com
Spend a week creating, collecting, and celebrating in one of the most beautiful places in the country! Situated on the shores of Lake Michigan and surrounded by breathtaking dunes, lush wineries, rolling farms, and charming villages, Paint Grand Traverse draws a national field of artists. The week includes workshops, live demos, and exhibitions, and culminates with the Collectors Gala. Crooked Tree Arts Center invites you to be a part of the 6th annual Paint Grand Traverse!
Paint Tawas Bay
Date: June 15-17, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Tawas Bay Art Gallery
Contact: Janice Dumas
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.tawasbayartistgallery.com
Minnesota
Red Wing Arts Plein Air
Date: June 10-22, 2023
Opening Reception: June 23, 2023
Format: Juried
Award Total: $5,000
Contact: Heather Lawrenz
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 651.388.7569
Website: www.redwingarts.org
Imagine painters situated along the Seine in Paris and transport them to the banks and bluffs of the beautiful Mississippi, and you’ll get Red Wing Arts Plein Air. Red Wing, Minnesota, which sits at the entrance to the Driftless Region, features a charming downtown, dramatic bluffs, vistas, and rivers that define the historic town. This longtime annual festival and exhibition attract the region’s finest plein air painters who capture the beauty of this stunning place.
Missouri
Paint Sedalia Plein Air Event
Dates: May 31-June 3, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Sedalia Visual Art Association (SVAA)
Venue: Downtown Sedalia
Website: https://www.facebook.com/sedaliavisualartassociation
The Sedalia Visual Art Association (SVAA) invites you to join us for a plein air painting that will take place during the Scott Joplin Festival beginning Wednesday, May 31st until Saturday, June 3rd. The finished artwork will be shown in The Art Room at 304 West Main on Saturday. There will be food trucks, and music in the downtown area throughout the event.
Summit Art Plein Air Festival
Dates: June 14-17, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Summit Art
Contact: Sharon Wagner
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.summitart.org
New York
Paint Adirondacks
Dates: June 10-17, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: PleinAir Magazine
Venue: Paul Smiths College, in Paul Smiths
Contact: PleinAir Magazine, 561.655.8778 or 800.610.5771
Website: paintadirondacks.com
PleinAir Magazine’s Eric Rhoads started the Publisher’s Invitational so his friends could join him in the Adirondacks to paint, but an invitation is no longer required. This event is a chance for busy painters who need a break, an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with friends, and paint beautiful places where the masters before us have painted. We make it effortless. You roll out of your dorm bed for breakfast, pack your sack lunch for your day of painting, and show up for dinner. Our days are filled with painting the Adirondack Mountains of Northern New York State and the surrounding area.
Oregon
The Great Blueberry Paint Out
Dates: June 10 – July 1, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Pacific Rim Art Guild
Venue: The Blueberry Festival at the Blueberry Patch Farm
Website: https://www.pacrimartguild.com/
Enjoy arts, crafts, food, music, and pick and eat blueberries at this inaugural paint out.
Pennsylvania
Plein Air West Reading
Dates: June12-17, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Art Plus Gallery
Venue: Olympian Ballroom & Art on the Avenue festival
Format: Juried
Contact: Russell Slocum
Phone: 610.796.0418
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.artplusgallerypa.com
The 8th annual Plein Air West Reading competition will culminate as the keystone exhibition of Art on the Avenue, West Reading’s popular street festival. Paint anywhere in Berks County all week, starting Monday, June 12, enter 3 pieces for judging. Two $1000 first prizes: one for best done in W. Reading, the other best anywhere in Berks. Host housing or discount lodging for visiting artists.
Tennessee
Paint Kingsport
Dates: June 26-July 1, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Kingsport Art Guild
Contact: Jennifer Phipps
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.kingsportartguild.com
Utah
Wasatch Plein Air Paradise
Dates: June 23-July 4, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Midway Art Association
Contact: Jerry Watterworth
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.midwayartassociation.org
Wisconsin
Paint Cedarburg: A Plein Air Event
Dates: June 3-10, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Cedarburg Artists Guild
Contact: Katherine de Shazer
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.cedarburgartistsguild.com
For 22 years, Paint Cedarburg has been a memorable occasion for 150 artists. Paint the historic city, charming countryside, and the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Beginning with Fresh from Cedarburg, a unique event held in the historic district that includes an exhibition and sale. A 5-day painting period ends with an exhibition and award ceremony at the Cedarburg Cultural Center. Enjoy social gatherings, buyer events, and workshops.
Wyoming
Plein Air Fest, Etc.
Date: June 17, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: National Museum of Wildlife Art
City: Jackson Hole
Contact: Michelle Dickson
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.wildlifeart.org
Nova Scotia
Parrsboro International Plein Air Festival
Date: June 20-25, 2023
Opening Reception: June 24, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: Parrsboro Creative
Venue: The Parrsboro Band Association (“The Hall”)
Format: Juried
Juror of Awards: Kathie Odom
Award Total: $6800
Contact: Michael Fuller
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 902.728.2007
Website: www.parrsborocreative.com/pipaf
Nestled in Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy, with the world’s highest tides carving unique and ever-changing shoreline scenery, Parrsboro has become home to Canada’s largest plein air festival, judged in 2023 by Kathie Odom. Enjoy world-famous hospitality and a visual feast of color and texture in the surrounding Unesco-Designated “Cliffs Of Fundy Geopark.” Learn why many artists feel so drawn annually to these mesmerizing views, and a welcoming, authentic maritime experience.
Painting Events Coming Soon
Online
Pastel Live presented by PleinAir™ Magazine
Dates: August 17-19, 2023 (Beginner’s Day August 16)
Contact: PleinAir Magazine
Phone: 561.655.8778 or 800.610.5771
Website: pastellive.com
Sometimes we want to try new mediums, or seek ways to enhance our creativity. For decades, artists have turned to pastel for brilliant, vibrant colors. Today, pastel painting is a huge worldwide trend, and PastelLive is an online event consisting of 3 days of demonstrations from 30 of the world’s leading pastel artists, along with lectures, painting critiques, discussions, and more. There’s even an optional Beginner’s Day for those who need a refresher before the main event. Join a worldwide audience of passionate pastel painters and those who want to discover more about it. This event is held online, so you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own home.
New York
Fall Color Week
Dates: September 29-October 5, 2023
Sponsoring Organization: PleinAir Magazine
Venue: Saranac Village City, in Saranac Lake
Contact: PleinAir Magazine, 561.655.8778 or 800.610.5771
Website: fallcolorweek.com
PleinAir Magazine’s Eric Rhoads lives in a place where fall color isn’t great, so he created the Fall Color Week retreat, held in various locations during peak color season annually. It’s a week of painting with old friends and new ones. We have our meals together, and we stay on the same property … all for one price. Join Eric this fall in Saranac Lake in New York during peak fall color season. Come enjoy the beautiful fall scenery with no competition, just painting alongside your friends. No meals to cook, no one to care for, just roll out of bed, get fed, and paint all day. It’s glorious.
Stay tuned for more painting events coming online or near your hometown! We’ll post the July painting events soon!
