Sedona Plein Air Festival

October 23–30, 2021

Event
Details

17^th Annual
Sedona Plein Air Festival

Sedona Arts Center invites you along to be inspired and experience master artists painting in the Shangri-La of the Southwest! Sedona is a sublime and stunningly beautiful environment steeped in art history. The Arts Center dates back 63 years to the founding of Sedona’s identity as an ‘art colony.’ Our community’s iconic and wonderfully creative event—Sedona Plein Air Festival—is a week-long celebration of extraordinary landscapes, world-renowned artists, unique workshops, and wonderful free events!

Last year we celebrated the Year of the Woman at Sedona Arts Center, recognizing the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. Due to Covid-19 we changed the format to a virtual Festival which led to unique work from diverse areas displayed in our online gallery.

This year the Festival is back in-person and embedded in a rich set of plein air workshop offerings. The Keynote Workshop with Michele Usibelli is scheduled during the Festival week, October 26 – 29, 2021 offering a chance to experience the festival work, and special events while studying with a master of the medium. (Michele’s Keynote address is on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 7:00 pm.) Surrounding the festival, plein air workshops are offered as well! Click here to learn about all of our plein air workshops.

At the conclusion of the festival week Keynote Speaker and Judge for this year’s Festival, Michele Usibelli, will present special awards. She will give her Keynote address on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 7:00 pm.

2021 Festival Artists

2020's Virtual Events & Awards

The 16^th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival took place October 24-31, 2020, a first of its kind—all woman event and a Virtual Plein Air Festival! We experienced live demonstrations, short videos created by our festival artists all across the country, and an online gallery of new works updated daily. The Festival work was presented online through the end of November.

Lyn Boyer was the 2020 Judge for the Sedona Plein Air Festival. She determined awards for two groups of work, work done during the festival week and work submitted to an Opening Exhibition where each artist submitted one work to represent themselves. That work could be a studio or plein air work. Works done during the festival were all plein air work.

Cash awards for work done during the week of the festival

First Place
Michelle Held
“Florida Friends” $1500

Second Place
Jane Ann G. Woodhead
“The First Dusting” $850

Third Place
Paula Swain
“Can’t Touch This” $650

Cash awards based on their first painting presented at the Opening Event.

First Place
Ellie Wilson
“Slow and Steady” $1000

Second Place
Susiehyer
“Greensong #1” $600

Third Place
Carolyn Lindsey
“First Hint of Color” $400

Honorable Mentions were awarded in each category. Susiehyer’s “Copper Dr. Vista”, Elizabeth St. Hilaire’s “Last Look” and Kari Ganoung Ruiz’s “County Road Corner” all won for work done during the week of the festival. Margaret Larlham’s “Cactus Mardi Gras” and Susan Hediger Matteson’s “Aspen Fall” both won for their first painting presented at the Opening Event.

Thank you to our sponsors...

Sedona’s Annual Celebration of Plein Air Painting is Generously Made Possible by:

2021 Plein Air Workshops at Sedona Arts Center

Sedona Arts Center is one of Northern Arizona’s most well-established cultural organizations and serves as the creative heart of Sedona. Founded in 1958, the nonprofit organization is based at the Art Barn in Uptown and offers year-round classes, exhibitions, festivals, and cultural events that enhance the creative life of the Verde Valley.

Sedona residents and newcomers alike look to Sedona Arts Center for their introduction to, and ongoing involvement in the arts.

The School of the Arts programming is designed to reach out to all aspiring artists and students – all ages and levels of learning. Ongoing instruction is available in a variety of mediums while workshops offer specialized content in an intensive format from nationally-known faculty.

Sedona Arts Center offers a variety of workshops

Scholarship funds are available

for plein air festival workshops

Location

15 Art Barn Rd, Sedona, AZ 86336

Phone : (928) 282-3809

Email : sac@sedonaartscenter.org

Our Hours

FRI-SUN 10:00am – 5:00pm