The 2020 Adirondack Plein Air Festival is still on schedule, but the viewing and purchasing part of the event will be held online.
Instead of filling the Town Hall in Saranac Lake with wet paintings the annual Show & Sale will go online. The new 2020 virtual Plein Air exhibit will open on August 22 for donors and on August 23 for the general public.
Artists from all over the country had started registering for the Festival on February 1st. With the onset and as yet unknown full impact of the ongoing pandemic some changes had to be made. The artist registration deadline was pushed back to June 1 and some logistics have had to be altered.
It will no longer be a requirement for the participating artists to physically stay in Saranac Lake for a single week of painting the Adirondacks. Their work is still required to be new with the Adirondacks as the subject matter but artists are invited to paint wherever they like within the Blue Line of the Adirondack Park between the dates of July 30, 2020 and August 19, 2020. All paintings are to be completed, outdoors, on location, during the dates specified—the honor system will apply.
Artists will email their digital images and the 2020 Adirondack Plein Air Show will be on the Saranac Lake ArtWorks website for a month beginning with the online preview party on August 22nd.
Artists from out of state who originally applied are being offered a refund on registration fees. As in the past, there will be a Special Preview Exhibit for those who make a $20 donation to Saranac Lake ArtWorks. The password for the private online viewing will be emailed to those who wish to see and have the first chance at purchasing works produced for the Festival.
ArtWorks is looking into the possibility of staging an outdoor Show & Sale for local plein air painters the weekend of August 22-23 but that will be determined later in the season. In the meantime, the Saranac Lake ArtWorks website will post any new developments and live opportunities for artists and audiences.
Saranac Lake ArtWorks is also the host of Third Thursday ArtWalks and Studio Tours. These events will not be able to function as originally planned but there will be online alternatives featuring member artists, eblasts promoting online arts events and updates on any innovative live and online arts events that might be happening. To get on the Saranac Lake ArtWorks online newsletter visit their website.
ArtWorks members have been busy creating and producing during these challenging times. Some of their work can be found on the new Saranac Lake ArtWorks website which provides links to member artists, galleries and cultural organizations extending from Plattsburgh through Malone, to Blue Mountain Lake, Saratoga Springs, Potsdam, Paul Smiths and the Lake Champlain area. Many of these artists and cultural organizations are offering virtual classes or studio visits and can arrange service for purchases.
For more information about Saranac Lake ArtWorks email info@sararanaclakeartworks.org.
Painting of Baker Mountain in the Spring by Sandra Hildreth.
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