Application Period:
January 2 (8am) - February 15, 2024 (8pm)
Application Period has Passed!
Artist Information
GENERAL INFORMATION
Artists 18 years or older are eligible to apply for the River Towns Plein Air 2024 Competition and Exhibit. Application constitutes agreement that images may be used for web and print promotional purposes.
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DISCLAIMER: None of the involved groups (including Marietta Art Alive!, the Marietta Community House, the Borough of Marietta, and Rivertownes PA USA) are responsible for personal injury and illness or damage/loss/theft of artwork that may happen during the entire event. Artists must provide their own insurance coverage if desired. In addition, artists are responsible for their own personal safety during the event. Applying for the event constitutes the artist's agreement with all rules and statements made here.
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HOW TO APPLY FOR RIVER TOWNS PLEIN AIR 2024:
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All applicants must:​
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Complete application form online beginning January 2 (8am) through February 15, 2024 (8pm) Eastern Time.
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​On Jan 2 at 8am, the application link will be available on our page.
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Upload photos of three plein air artworks completed in last three years. Before uploading your images, make sure they are smaller than 4MB, We suggest resizing your images to 1920 pixels on the longest side at 72 dpi. Images should be in JPEG format. Graphic should include painting only--no frame or background. Images can be resized for free at https://imageresizer.com/. Note: Resizing will not improve the quality of the image.
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Pay a $40 non-refundable application fee
SELECTION OF ARTISTS:
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Important: The 2024 River Towns Plein Air will be made up of 50 juried artists. The "open" category has been eliminated.
From the entire pool of applicants, our Juror of Selection will review and select 50 artists to participate as Juried Artists. Applicants will be notified of their juried status and asked to confirm that they plan to participate in the event within 4 days of notification.. Additional artists will be selected for the Waitlist should there be an opening.
In order to maintain the "community" enthusiasm for this event, up to half of the selected artists will be from Lancaster/York Counties.
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ARTIST SCHEDULE
ARTIST Schedule of Events
January 2, 2024 (8am) - February 15, 2024 (8pm)
Application period for River Towns Plein Air 2024
February 26, 2024
Notification of Juried, Waitlist, and Non-Acceptance
March 1, 2024 (8am)
Quick Draw open for registration
April 10-17, 2024
Juried artists paint the river towns. Artist check in, goodie bag pick up, and W-9 drop off at MH Art Gallery, 42 W Market St, Marietta PA: No canvas stamping required.
-Wednesday, April 10 (8AM-11AM and 6PM-8PM)
-Thursday, April 11 (8AM-10AM)
-Friday, April 12 (8AM-10AM)
April 12, 2024
Artist Meet and Greet at Musselman-Vesta Furnace Museum, 4 Donegal Pl, Marietta PA. Eats and artist giveaways will occur at this event.
April 13, 2024
Quick Draw event
8AM-10AM - Anyone who wants to participate may register for Quick Draw. This year's event will be held in Marietta, PA. Registration fee is $10. Registered artists check in before or after paint out. RTPA 2024 applicants are automatically registered but check in still required.
10AM-12Noon - Registered artists paint in designated Quick Draw area
Noon-12:30PM - Deliver framed/gallery wrapped artwork by this time to the Designated Exhibit Area, for judging
1:30PM - Presentation of Quick Draw Awards
April 17, 2024 by 8PM
Artist deadline for entering and submitting online label information
April 18, 2024
9AM-Noon - Artists deliver and hang their work
5PM-6PM - Reception at Marietta Community House (front) 264 W Market St, Marietta
6:15PM-7PM - Artists' awards presentation and preview at Marietta Community House (264 W Market St rear, Marietta PA). Awards will also be posted on our website and Facebook pages. Artists will be notified by email.
April 18-April 21, 2024
Public exhibit: Thu 7PM-9PM; Fri/Sat 10AM-8PM;
Sun 10AM-3PM
April 21, 2024
3-5PM - Artists pick up unsold artwork
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RULES OF THE COMPETITION
MEDIA: Any medium used to create 2-dimensional art such as oils, acrylics, watercolors, pencil, pastel, or charcoal are permissible. Other materials and mediums may be acceptable with permission of the RTPA Plein Air Committee.
PLEIN AIR DEFINITION: All paintings must be completed “en plein air” described as painting in the open air, working directly from the landscape or scene as it appears at that moment, without the aid of photos or cameras or more than a few marks afterward in the studio. Porches, gazebos, and pavilions can be used as shelter while painting; artists are responsible for gaining necessary permissions.
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PAINT OUT AREA:
Google map and paint out area.
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SUBJECT MATTER:
Subject matter is anything observed while standing within the confines of the River Towns Plein Air Paint Out Area . Designated sites were selected with the Susquehanna River in mind, but we encourage artists to paint the beautiful architecture, street scenes, wildlife, people, etc., that also can be found in this area.
SURFACE STAMPING:
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Artists will not be required to have surfaces stamped.
This year we are using an honor system. All artwork must be created on-site within the River Towns Plein Air Paint Out Area or at a Designated Painting Site from April 10-17, 2024, to be eligible for entry into the show and for awards. Unsold Quick Draw work completed by juried artists are eligible for entry and awards in the main competition.
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ARTIST CHECK-IN: ​
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Artist check in, goodie bag pick up, and W-9 drop off at MH Art Gallery, 42 W Market St, Marietta PA: No canvas stamping required.
-Wednesday, April 10 (8AM-11AM and 6PM-8PM)
-Thursday, April 11 (8AM-10AM)
-Friday, April 12 (8AM-10AM)​
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SUBMISSION OF ARTWORK LABEL INFO:
Submit painting details as you go. Go to https://www.mariettaartalive.com/label each time you complete a painting. The information gathered here will be used to create labels for the final show. Deadline for submission is April 17, 2024, at 8PM. With each label submission, you should see the message “Thanks for submitting! Add another.”
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EXHIBIT SPACE:
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At the end of the paint out period, each artist is given a designated display area. The exhibit space is 2 standard art display panels (approximately 6 ft. wide X 6 ft. high). Artists may install as many eligible RTPA 2024 works as will fit in this area and are encouraged to use various formats to create an interesting display.
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EXHIBIT AND DISPLAY SET UP:
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The RTPA 2024 Planning Committee will provide display panels, labels, and hooks for use at this show. Artists are required to install their own work. Location for the show and sale will be at Studio 264, Marietta Community House, 264 W Market St Rear., Marietta, PA. ​
All works will be eligible for JURIED AWARDS. During set up, artists will designate up to one painting for each SPECIAL CATEGORY AWARD.​
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All artwork must be professionally framed or gallery wrapped. If pieces are gallery wrapped canvas, the sides must be painted and finished neatly. All work must be wired for hanging--no sawtooth hangers will be accepted. Artwork that is unfinished or unprofessional in appearance may be disqualified from the judging and exhibition.
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Organizers will make every effort to ensure patrons are a sufficient distance from the displayed artwork. The exhibit building will be locked overnight. Two or more volunteers will be on hand during the exhibit hours to monitor the exhibit and manage sales.
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SALE OF ARTWORK:
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All artwork must be for sale. A 30% commission will benefit Rivertownes PA USA, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Artists receive 70% of amount paid for their paintings. A PA sales tax of 6% will be collected at the time of sale. Rivertownes PA USA is responsible for the payment of PA Sales Tax.
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QUICK DRAW EVENT:
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The Quick Draw event will be held in Marietta, PA on Saturday, April 13 from 10AM to Noon. It is open to all artists. Artists who apply for River Towns Plein Air 2024 and pay the $40 application fee are automatically registered for the Quick Draw event. Additional artists can register and pay the $10 online beginning March 1 up to the day of the event. Artists under 18 years do not need to register.
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JUROR of SELECTION:
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Bernard Dellario earned a bachelor's degree from Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, PA with emphasis on finance and art history. He studied Art at the Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia and attended several workshops with nationally known artists. He has been a member of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters since 2003. Fondly known as WSLP, one of the oldest active artist organizations in the Washington area, Bernard currently serves as President. He teaches painting classes through several venues, has won national awards and exhibits throughout the Maryland Eastern Shore and Washington, DC regions.
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JUROR of AWARDS:
Aaron Thompson is a professional painter whose paintings and drawings have been exhibited in Samuel M. V. Hamilton Museum at The Pennsylvania academy of the Fine Art. A native of Charleston, SC, Thompson earned his BFA in Illustration, from Savannah College of Art and Design. After being awarded The Merit Scholarship from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, he moved to Philadelphia where he earned the master's degree in painting. Thompson attended the Barnes Artist Residency in Umbria, Italy and currently is an Assistant Professor at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in Lancaster, PA.
QUICK DRAW JUROR:
Scott Cantrell has been a professional artist and teacher since 2001. He earned his Masters in Art Education from Millersville University in 2007 and his Masters in Fine Arts from Vermont College of Fine Art in 2011. Since graduating with his MFA, Scott has exhibited in many juried shows throughout the country including the North American Graduate Art Survey in Minneapolis, the Boston Young Contemporaries in Boston, Trompe L’oeil Exhibition in the John F. Peto Museum of NJ, and the Art of the State in Harrisburg to name a few. He also shows regularly at Red Raven Art Company in Lancaster PA and Gallery Piquel in New Hope PA as well as Lambertville NJ.
AWARDS:
