Color Las Cruces The First Annual Plein Air Competition  And Community Arts Festival
Saturday, September 11 & Sunday, September 12, 2010

The Doña Ana Arts Council (DAAC) will present the first Color Las Cruces Plein Air Competition and Community Arts Festival, September 11 & 12, 2010. The premiere event will be two full days of ongoing activities in Downtown Las Cruces, featuring an artist workshop, a “Quickdraw” competition, two Plein Air competitions, a VIP Artist Reception and a Citywide gallery hop.

Categories:
Plein Air Professional*            
Plein Air Open*

In the Plein Air competitions, juried artists will compete for cash and merchandise prizes in one of two categories. To compete, artists will have four hours on Saturday morning to go to an outdoor location in Las Cruces, begin and complete a painting, and return with the finished piece.  Entry deadline for both plein air categories is August 13, 2010.

Guest judge (and workshop instructor) is Kevin Weckbach, a noted professional fine artist.  Winners of the two Plein Air categories will be announced Saturday evening at the VIP Artist Reception, where attendees can meet the artists, sample food from the best restaurants in town, enjoy wine from local wineries and take in a live performance on the theatre stage. A public exhibit and sale of completed paintings will take place in participating galleries on Sunday afternoon, from noon until 4pm, with artists in attendance.

Workshop:
On Thursday, September 9 and Friday, September 10, Denver artist Kevin Weckbach, guest judge of the Plein Air competition on Saturday, will give a two-day Plein Air workshop, which is open to artists of all levels. The class size will be limited for personal instruction and a fee will be charged for the workshop, so attendees should contact the Doña Ana Arts Council immediately to reserve space.

Click here for Artist Prospectus
Click here for Printable Artist Application Form
Click here to Enter Online
Click here for Kevin Weckbach Workshop Information
For lodging and other visitor information click here

*Award winners in Plein Air categories are automatically invited to the following year’s event and their fee is waived.