Artist Information
Application Period has Passed!
Application Period:
January 2 (8am) - February 10, 2023 (8pm)
GENERAL INFORMATION
Artists 18 years or older are eligible to register for the River Towns Plein Air 2023 Competition and Exhibit. Application constitutes agreement that images may be used for web and print promotional purposes.
DISCLAIMER: None of the involved groups (including Marietta Art Alive!, the Marietta Community House, the Borough of Marietta, Create Columbia, 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.
HOW TO APPLY FOR RIVER TOWNS PLEIN AIR 2023:
All applicants must:
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complete application form online beginning January 2 (8am) through February 10, 2023 (8pm) Eastern Time.
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On Jan 2 at 8am, the application link will be available on our website.
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Upload photos of two plein air artworks completed in last three years. Graphic files must be between 1M and 5M in size".
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Pay a $30 non-refundable application fee
SELECTION OF ARTISTS:
Note: There are two distinct artist categories for eligibility and participation.
From the entire pool of applicants, our Juror of Selection will review and select 30 artists to participate as JURIED ARTISTS in the River Towns Plein Air 2023. 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. From the remaining non-juried applicants, 30 more artists will be asked to participate as OPEN ARTISTS. These slots will be offered to artists in the order that they are received. OPEN ARTISTS must confirm participation within 4 days of notification. A maximum of 60 artists (30 JURIED and 30 OPEN) will participate in the River Towns Plein Air 2023 event. Applicants who are not offered a slot in one of the two categories will be placed on a "Waitlist" and will be notified should any openings arise.
ARTIST SCHEDULE
ARTIST Schedule of Events
January 2, 2023 (8am) - February 10, 2023 (8pm)
Application period for River Towns Plein Air 2023
February 20, 2023
Notification of Juried and Open Artists
March 1, 2023 (8am)
Quick Draw open for registration
April 12-17, 2023
Canvas Stamping & Goodie Bag pick up - 42 W Market St, Marietta
Wednesday, April 12 (8AM-11AM and 6PM-8PM)
Friday, April 14 (8AM-11AM)
Monday, April 17 (8AM-11AM)
For additional dates/times, text 717-314-9551
April 12-19, 2023
Artists paint in River Towns Plein Air. See maps:
April 15, 2023 (Rain date: April 16)
Quick Draw event
8AM-10AM - Anyone who wants to participate may register for Quick Draw. It will be run by Create Columbia and held in Columbia, PA. Registration fee is $10. Registered artists check in before or after paint out.
10AM-12Noon - Registered artists paint in designated Quick Draw area
Noon-1PM - Deliver framed/gallery wrapped artwork by this time to the Market House, for judging
2PM - Presentation of Quick Draw Awards
April 19, 2023 by 8PM
Artist deadline for entering and submitting online label information
April 20, 2023
10AM-2PM - Artists turn in artwork for judging and display
April 21, 2023
4PM-5PM - Artists' awards presentation at Marietta Community House. Awards will also be posted on our website and Facebook pages by 4PM. Artists will be notified by email.
April 21-April 23, 2023
Public exhibit: Fri 5PM-9PM; Sat 10AM-5PM; Sun 10AM-2PM
April 23, 2023
2-4PM - Artists pick up unsold artwork
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.
PAINT OUT AREA:
Artists are free to paint any time of day or night.
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.
Check out our site gallery.
SURFACE STAMPING:
Artists must have all surfaces stamped prior to using them in the competition. At the time of stamping, the surfaces must be blank or primed with a single color. All artwork submitted to the final show must bear the "2023 River Towns Plein Air" ink stamp on the reverse in plain view at the time of acceptance. Volunteers will be available at MH Studio & Gallery/MAA, 42 W Market St, Marietta PA to stamp surfaces on the dates/times below:
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Wednesday, April 12, 2023: 8AM-11AM and 6PM-8PM
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Friday, April 14, 2023: 8AM-11AM
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Monday, April 17, 2023: 8AM-11AM
For additional dates/times and with adequate notice, text 717-314-9551 and the committee will try to accommodate.
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 19, 2023, at 8PM. With each label submission, you should see the message “Thanks for submitting! Add another.”
EXHIBIT SPACE:
At the end of the paint out period, artists may enter as many pieces of work that will fit in a display area that is as follows:
Exhibit Space - Juried Artists
6 ft. wide X 6 ft. high. (Approximately 2 standard art display panels.) JURIED ARTISTS may install as many eligible RTPA 2023 works as will fit in this area and are encouraged to use various formats to create an interesting display. JURIED ARTISTS may identify up to two works for the JURIED AWARDS and an additional work for each SPECIAL CATEGORY AWARD.
Exhibit Space - Open Artists
3 ft. wide X 6 ft. high. (Approximately 1 standard art display panel.) OPEN ARTISTS may install as many eligible RTPA 2023 works as will fit in this area and are encouraged to use various formats to create an interesting display. OPEN ARTISTS may identify one work for the OPEN AWARDS and an additional work for each SPECIAL CATEGORY AWARD.
All submissions, JURIED and OPEN, must bear the RTPA 2023 canvas/paper stamp marking. This will be confirmed at time of acceptance.
All artwork must have been created on-site within the River Towns Plein Air Paint Out Area or a Designated Painting Site from April 12-19, 2023, to be eligible for entry into the show and for awards.
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.
EXHIBIT AND DISPLAY SET UP:
The RTPA 2023 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., Marietta, PA.
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.
SALE OF ARTWORK:
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.
JUROR:
Gary Tucker is our the RTPA 2023 Juror of Acceptance and Awards. Gary is an acclaimed New England watercolor artist who has established a 30-year reputation for winning competitions, leading workshops, and teaching his craft. Gary is a rare artist who is able to paint and teach on a high level, and foster individuality in each artist as well. Gary has won numerous awards and is a member of the Salmagundi Club of New York City and as well as the Copley Society of Boston.
QUICK DRAW EVENT:
The Quick Draw event will be held in Columbia, PA, and organized by Create Columbia. It is open to artists of all ages.
Artists who apply for River Towns Plein Air 2023 and pay the $30 application fee are automatically registered for the Quick Draw event.
Registration for additional artists begins March 1, 2023 at 8am and continues up until the event. The registration fee for artists to paint only in the Quick Draw event is $10.
A special map of the Quick Draw area can be found on the Quick Draw page. Artists will have 2 hours to complete a painting and another 1/2 hour to frame and deliver the painting to the judging area. Judging and awards will follow the Quick Draw event. Juror of Awards for the Quick Draw is Matt Allyn Chapman, co-owner of Curio in Lancaster.
For more information, go to the Quick Draw page.
AWARDS:
Juried and Open artists are eligible for awards according to the chart shown here. RTPA planning committee members are ineligible for awards.
