Plein Air Event Organization & Artist Thoughts

I got an email this week from an artist who works at an art gallery. She and her gallery have been asked by the city to sponsor a plein air event (even though she has never participated in one).  She knows that I have participated in several plein air events and was asking for my thoughts. First and foremost she/her gallery will have much work to do!

Plein Air Organizers Needs:

Organization Item	Artist Note	Questions	My personal thoughts
Application for Artist	Online App preferred,	?Cost/Free? Limit # of Artists? ?Limit size of works	Do not charge a lot for entry & you will get more applicants. Is it open to all artists or will artists be juried in? Regarding limiting artists, you cannot control the quality of artist if it is open to all.
Prizes	IMPT!		Awards are good, prize $ is good. Will get artists interested.
Rules	This is impt, must be painted the day of, from life.	?Location	Rules for where (location) artists can paint/boundaries, rules for no photo ref must be from life, ?size rule (not bigger than), canvas/paper must be stamped, wet paint works must be framed
List/Map of Suggested locations/boundaries	location	What are the boundaries of city where are the parks, businesses etc where artists can paint?	I do expect a list of where I can paint when I participate – esp if I do not know the area. A map of boundaries is good, a suggestion of painting locations is a must. Are there parks, downtown businesses that will let artists paint there?
Printed timeline	VERY IMPT	One day event?	One day event may be a good place to start, but it will be hectic. Artists need an hour by hour schedule and rules print out at check in. ? One day one work? If more than one day, maybe more than 1 work?
Timeline & Organizers, Day of	You need multiple workers for all hours		If it’s a one day event, you will need people for check in and canvas stamp, to hand out printed rules/timeline, wet canvas check in and return<<<this will back up, if you stop at 4pm all artists will arrive around 4 to turn in work. You will need many there to take artist name, title and price of work. And to take the work from the tired hungry artists, framing screws and hammers may be nice to have on a table.
Stamp- for back of canvases and paper	Make it ARTY, not just a ‘date stamp’ – One org did a hummingbird	?Multiple stamps so multiple people can check in at once?	Artists will all show up at once for canvas stamping and waiting in line wastes valuable paint time, the organization must be fast and efficient. Artists will bring MORE than one canvas to stamp, prepare for that, multiple stamping per each artist (as once you get outside you need options). I would say if event is for one day, have check in and stamping from 8-12 (2-3 hours at least). Some will come early some will come late, many will arrive at SAME time magically… One idea – offer canvas stamping the day before the event – with clear rule requirement that painting cannot start until day of event.
Reception	Artists Reception/Show		Is this the same night as the paint out or at a later date? How long is the show?

For me the artist the application process is typically:

Apply for the event online, review rules and location requirements and timeline online, get email notification of acceptance. Yay! Put on calendar, day before pack car and pre-wire frame(s)

The day of the event: the artist process is typically: (my car is my studio)

1.     Pack car: Frames, framing gear, canvases, organization and timeline information, lunch, art supplies

2.     Check in, get 5 canvases stamped (need multiple organizers w stamps as the line will get long and artists need to get out to paint). FYI -- I always take more than one canvas to be stamped as you never know what size you need. Be prepared to stamp multiple canvases per person.

3.     Go to location to paint, hope for nice weather (what will you do if it rains, if weather is severe reschedule or keep event going?) 

4.     If same day event, Take wet painting and frame it from trunk of car (this is a process!!).

5.     Return to location to turn wet painting back in, with title and price (again, you will need multiple people to take in wet paintings and complete paperwork). 

6.     Attend reception, hope for a prize. #exhaustion