Take advantage of these art and plein air painting events and opportunities from our 2024 Ultimate Guide to Painting Events and Organizations. Bonus: Includes upcoming event deadlines!
(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.)
Arizona
Grand Canyon Celebration of Art
Dates: September 7, 2024-January 20, 2025
Opening Reception: September 14
Sponsoring Organization: Grand Canyon Conservancy
Venue: Kolb Studio at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park
Format: Juried
Contact: Kathy Duley
Phone: 480.277.0458
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.grandcanyon.org
Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Celebration of Art is a wonderful tradition at Grand Canyon National Park, providing a vibrant experience for visitors, a venue for artists inspired by the canyon, and a successful fundraiser to benefit an art venue at the South Rim. Since its inception in 2009, Celebration of Art has invited participating artists to paint en plein air for a week at Grand Canyon. The works produced during this time are shown alongside studio-produced pieces at the historic Kolb Studio in an exhibition and sale for four months, both in-person and online.
California
Fall Color Week Presented by PleinAir Magazine
Dates: September 29-October 6
Venue: Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove
Contact: PleinAir Magazine
Phone: 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 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. This year we’re taking a break from fall color and going on a Coastal Adventure in California. We’re going to paint locations like Old Fisherman’s Wharf, Cannery Row, Carmel and Carmel Beach, Lovers Point, and Point Lobos. Come enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery without 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.
Sonoma Plein Air Festival
Dates: September 9-14, 2024
Sponsoring Organization: Sonoma Plein Air Foundation
Venue: Historic Sonoma Plaza
Format: Juried
Juror(s) of Awards: Juried Art Services
Contact: Irene Cook
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sonomapleinair.com
Nationally acclaimed artists gather to paint for one week throughout the Sonoma wine country, Marin, San Francisco, and our spectacular coast. Artists enjoy housing, welcome reception, artists’ luncheon, patron gala with silent art auction, and finally, a 1-day art show and sale on beautiful Sonoma Plaza. The festival has supported arts education and creativity development for Sonoma Valley youth since 2002. Sixty percent of sales to artists; 40% to the Foundation for funding local youth arts education.
Colorado
Alla Prima Westcliffe
Dates: September 8-14
Opening Reception: September 14
Sponsoring Organization: Sangres Art Guild
Venue: 3rd Street Gallery, Westcliffe
Format: Open
Juror of Awards: Lorenzo Chavez
Award Total: $5,000+
Contact: Terri Wiebke
Phone: 719.331.2164
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sangresartguild.org
Alla Prima Westcliffe’s 15th plein air event is held as aspens begin their annual golden glory, nestled between the Wet Mountains and the majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado. Painting opportunities abound, from our natural beauty of mountain and alpine vistas, historic ranches, trails, animals, flora, and small-town rural life. Alla Prima Westcliffe is preceded by an optional two-day “tune-up” plein air workshop with nationally renowned artist Lorenzo Chavez. Additionally, we are proud to be a designated International Dark Sky Community with pristine night skies. “Come for the mountains, stay for the stars.”
8th Annual Monuments and Canyons Plein Air Event
Dates: September 29-October 6
Opening Reception: October 4
Sponsoring Organization: Colorado National Monument Association
City: Fruita
Contact: John Lintott Phone: 970.858.2808
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.coloradonma.org
Paint the scenic red rock canyons of Colorado National Monument and the surrounding high-desert beauty in Western Colorado. Proceeds from the exhibition provide support for education, research, outreach, and park service special projects in Colorado National Monument. Many opportunities for artists besides the main exhibition: optional river float painting trip, and an extra exhibit in 2025.
Indiana
Culver & Lake Maxinkuckee Visitor Center
Dates: September 27-29
Award Total: $10,000 in awards and purchase prizes
Contact: Amber Cowell
Phone: 574.216.0682
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.findculver.com/culverpaintout
Enjoy a weekend of painting en plein air on the shores of beautiful Lake Maxinkuckee. Often referred to as the “Cape Cod of the Midwest,” Culver is home to the world-famous Culver Academies and within hours from Indianapolis, Chicago, and Fort Wayne. Quick Paint on Saturday morning at waterfront Culver Farmers’ Market with Quick Paint awards to follow. On Sunday afternoon, awards & Public Art Sale. Over $10,000 in awards and purchase prizes featuring waterfront, downtown, lake properties, and rural agricultural locations.
Iowa
Bluff Strokes 2024 Paint Out
Dates: September 29-October 5
Venue: Steeple Square, Dubuque
Format: Juried
Award Total: $15,000
Contact: Wesley Heitzman
Phone: 563.845.1801
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.bluffstrokes.org
Paint historic Dubuque, Iowa, on the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Dubuque boasts historic residences, buildings, and parks; river vistas and riverfront scenes; and interesting barge, rail, and industrial infrastructure. Nestled in the Driftless Region, which was not scoured by the glaciers, it offers beautiful topography and many forest, creek, and agricultural scenes. Our sales venue is a beautiful repurposed German Catholic church. Visit our website to see last year’s winners, and explore our “Paint Dubuque” pages for painting opportunities.
Massachusetts
25th Annual National Juried Exhibition
Dates: September 27-October 26
Opening Reception: September 26
Sponsoring Organization: American Impressionist Society
Venue: Rockport Art Association and Museum
Format: Juried
Juror(s) of Awards: Carolyn Anderson AISM
Award Total: $80,000
Contact: Liz Ahrens
Phone: 231.881.7685
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.americanimpressionistsociety.org
American Impressionist Society provides opportunities to artists working in the style of Impressionism. Annually AIS presents four juried exhibitions, panel discussions, painting demos, workshops, critiques, and painting competitions. Exhibitions and events are open to the public. Membership dues $60 annually. AIS partners with galleries and arts organizations to present our exhibitions. 2024 includes our 25th Annual National Exhibition and 8th Annual Small Works Showcase at Anderson Fine Art Gallery, St. Simons Island, Georgia. Founded in 1998, AIS has grown to one of the most respected national arts organizations, with 2,200 members.
Berkshire Plein Air
Dates: Through October 11
Sponsoring Organization: Guild of Berkshire Artists
City: West Stockbridge
Format: Open
Contact: Karen Carmean
Phone: 617.868.7082
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.berkshireartists.org/pleinair
Create art outdoors with Berkshire Plein Air of Western Massachusetts. Daily 10am-1pm except Sundays, weather permitting, June-October. Meet at a beautiful Berkshire location: Hancock Shaker Village, The Mount, the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Work until noon, then positive critique over lunch (bring or buy). Oil, acrylic, photography, watercolors, pastel, drawing, digital painting encouraged. Bring your own supplies. Open to all levels. Come for a day, a week. Join us for exhibits, quick draws, demonstrations, workshops, and competitions. We also go to The Clark, Mount Greylock, Oxbow on Housatonic, a horse farm, Tyringham Cobble, Lake Cheshire, Bartholomew’s Cobble, Stockbridge, Lenox, Great Barrington, and Sheffield.
Minnesota
Plein Air Grand Marais
Dates: September 6-14
Opening Reception: September 13
Sponsoring Organization: Outdoor Painters of Minnesota
Venue: Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery
Format: Open, Juried, and Invitational
Juror(s) of Awards: Brock Larson
Award Total: $6,500
Contact: Allison Eklund
Phone: 651.592.7858
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.outdoorpaintersofminnesota.org/plein-air-grand-marais.html
For more than 20 years, painters from across the country have gathered to paint in Cook County, Minnesota, from Lake Superior to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Daily workshops, paint-outs, artist socials, and a hootenanny make this a beloved tradition. All painters are welcome: The Open Class is oriented toward learning artists, and the Competition Class is juried. An Invitational Class features workshop instructors and painters from the Arrowhead region of Minnesota.
New Mexico
EXHIBITION: Plein Air Painters of New Mexico 16th Annual National Juried Members Exhibition
Dates: August 31 – September 31
Venue: Legends of the West Fine Art Gallery, Santa Fe
Website: www.papnm.org
The show will consist of 74 paintings by 46 PAPNM members, including signature and master signature artists, who were juried into the show by Bruce Gómez, Richard Guzmán, and Jeff Otis. The judge is Kathleen Hudson.
New York
Roger Tory Peterson Institute Plein Air Festival
Dates: September 11-14
Venue: Multiple locations throughout the area
Format: Juried
Contact: Maria Ferguson
Phone: 716.665.2473
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: rtpi.org/pleinair
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) Plein Air Festival is a two-day, open enrollment, plein air event in Chautauqua County. Discover the beautiful scenery that inspired a young Roger Tory Peterson. Artists may display their work at a wet paint sale September 14. Artwork will be entered into a judged competition, with awards given during the closing reception September 14. Artwork submitted to the show will also be considered for an exhibition at RTPI.
North Carolina
Brevard Plein Air Festival
Dates: September 9-14
Website: brevardnc.org
We are known as the land of waterfalls but our mountain views and vistas, our valleys dotted with horse pastures and barns and our clear-running lakes and streams will entice any artist to set up an easel and paint. The event culminates with a Wet Paint Art Show & Sale on Saturday, September 14 in downtown Brevard. New this year, we will be offering a Patron’s Party event on Friday evening. This social event will encourage connection between the artists and valued art collectors, as our patrons will be able to preview one selected piece from each artist.
Ohio
21st Annual Plein Air Competition
Dates: September 20-22
Opening Reception: September 22
Entry Deadline: September 16
Sponsoring Organization: Ohio Plein Air Society
Venue: New Towne Gallery, Millersburg
Format: Open
Award Total: $5,000
Contact: Debra Joyce Dawson
Phone: 740.739.1791
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ohiopleinairsociety.com
Artists paint anywhere in Holmes County. Home to the 2nd-largest Amish population in the U.S.A., landscapes feature rolling hills and valleys. Killbuck and Doughty Valleys offer marshes, wetlands, and forests. Millersburg offers historic architecture; Port Washington Road is Ohio’s first state road. “Rails to Trails” offers views of wetlands with local flora and fauna. Discover local legends at Panther’s Hollow and Salem Cemetery’s “Headless Angel.” Enjoy having private access to several Amish farms.
South Dakota
7th Annual Black Hills Plein Air Paint Out
Dates: September 19-21
Opening Reception: September 20
Sponsoring Organization: Hill City Arts Council
Format: Juried
Award Total: $2,000
Contact: Deb Ollerich
Phone: 605.574.2810
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.hillcityarts.org/plein-air
Artists will gather in Hill City, South Dakota, to paint the beautiful Black Hills area, choosing from a variety of picturesque locations while visitors have the chance to watch “art in the making.” The area offers rolling green hills, thick green forests, prairies, lakes, creeks, and wildlife. Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase artwork created at the event. Join us for this unique experience that will have you coming back to the Hills year after year!
Tennessee
Plein Air Smokies
Date: September 2-28
Opening Reception: September 27
Sponsoring Organization: Friends of the Smokies
Venue: Clayton Center for the Arts, Maryville
Format: Juried
Juror of Awards: Mark Boedges
Award Total: $20,000
Contact: Lauren Gass
Phone: 865.257.4776
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.pleinairsmokies.org
Twenty Featured Artists will be juried to participate in the weeklong event where they will paint within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hosted by Friends of the Smokies, the official philanthropic partner of the park, artists will stay all in one location together (each with their own private room) within one mile of the park entrance in East Tennessee. Four alternates will also be juried as possible backups.
Utah
Escalante Canyons Art Festival
Dates: September 20-29
Sponsoring Organization: Envision Escalante
Format: Open
Award Total: $11,000
Contact: Ruthanne Oliver
E-mail: info@ escalantecanyonsartfestival.org
Website: www.escalantecanyonsartfestival.org
Southern Utah’s canyon country with fall colors and stunning light! Join us to paint and celebrate the spectacular Escalante Canyons and surrounding areas. Hosted in Escalante, Utah — along Scenic Byway 12 between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks, in the heart of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Plein air, nocturne, and quick draw competitions, exhibits, in-person art sales, workshops and hands-on-art programs, demonstrations, arts and crafts fair, live music, and roving talks.
Virginia
Suffolk Plein Air Festival
Dates: September 10-14
Opening Reception: September 13, 2024
Sponsoring Organization: Suffolk Tourism, Downtown Suffolk, Suffolk Art League, and Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts
Venue: Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts
Format: Juried
Award Total: $5,000
Contact: Sandy Hart
Phone: 757.641.8120
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.suffolkpleinair.org
The City of Suffolk warmly welcomes artists to paint our pristine waterways, beautiful farmlands, and historic downtown. This event includes an artists’ luncheon; a ticketed Wet Paint Sale & Soirée Awards Reception; plus our “Paint the Taste” QuickDraw competition held during our city’s 18th annual “Taste of Suffolk” Downtown Street Festival that attracts 5,000+ people from all around the region. Local residents offer lodging, and special hotel rates are available.
The 4th Floyd Plein Air Biennial
Dates: September 22-28
Opening Reception: September 23
Sponsoring Organization: The Floyd Center for the Arts
Contact: Joli Ayn Wood
Phone: 540.449.9078
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.floydartcenter.org
Paint Southwestern Virginia’s most picturesque views during the 4th Floyd Plein Air Biennial. Artists will immerse themselves in the rolling hills of expansive Floyd County, painting vistas of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the beautiful Little River, local farms, and the Town of Floyd. Events include demonstrations, Artist Welcome Reception, Artist/Patron Dinner, Wet Paint Sales, Quick Draw Contest at the Floyd Country Store and Friday Night Jamboree, and Gala Celebration and art sale. This is a juried and invitational selection.
Western Australia
Plein Air Down Under 2024, Peel Region of Western Australia
Dates: September 21-23 with extended period from September 17-24
Opening Reception: September 20
Sponsoring Organization: Mandurah Plein Air Artists Inc.
Venue: Mandurah and Pinjarra
Format: Open
Award Total: $12,000+ (AUD)
Contact: Barbara Thoms
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.pleinairdownunder.com
Plein Air Down Under is back for its sixth year, inviting artists to explore the stunning Peel Region of Western Australia — an idyllic location for those looking to capture the essence of coastal, bush, suburban, and rural landscapes. The festival weekend runs from September 21-23, with workshops and paint-outs from September 17-24. With over $12,000 worth of prizes, there are so many reasons to be inspired by Plein Air Down Under.
Online Art Event
4th Annual Pastel Live
Dates: September 18-20, with Essential Techniques Day on September 17
Sponsoring Organization: PleinAir® Magazine
Website: PastelLive.com
If you’re looking for a way to accelerate your painting skills and an alternative to expensive travel, Pastel Live features some of the finest pastel painters on Earth, over three days, plus an optional Essential Techniques Day before the main event starts. Essentials Day is a great opportunity for those who need a refresher before the main event, or those just starting out. Join us for demonstrations, lectures, painting critiques, discussions, group painting, and more … all online from the comfort of your own home.
September Deadlines
- RiverArts Festival, New Richmond, Ohio
Deadline: September 7
https://www.facebook.com/NRRiverArtsFestival - Plein Air Fairhope, Alabama
Deadline: September 15
https://esartcenter.org - 3rd Annual Cultural Heritage Plein Air Event, Mountain City, Tennessee
Deadline: September 28
https://www.jocoartcenter.org/ - PleinAir® Salon Art Competition
Enter the PleinAir Salon $50,000 Art Competition. This is open to all artists and not just for plein air painters. You could win $15,000 and be on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine!
Deadline: September 30
PleinAirSalon.com
Looking Ahead, Online Painting Events
Realism Live
Dates: November 13-15, with Essential Techniques Day on November 12
Sponsoring Organization: Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine
Venue: Online
Website: RealismLive.com
There are many forms of realism. For instance, many paint impressionist paintings, while others paint or draw tight, realistic subjects. Realism Live is a 3-day virtual event that contains art instruction demonstrations, talks on art principles, lectures on art history, painting critiques, and artist roundtable discussions. It includes all styles of realism, painting mediums, and subjects including figure, portrait, still life, landscape, floral, and more. There’s even an optional Essential Techniques Day before the main event. Essentials Day is a great opportunity for those who need a refresher before the main event, or those just starting out. This event is held online, so you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own home.
Stay tuned for more painting events coming online or near your hometown! We’ll post next month’s painting events soon!
