Art of the Lakes Gallery, Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, and Red Wing Arts — the nonprofit organizers of Minnesota's three premier plein air painting competitions in Battle Lake, Grand Marais, and Red Wing — have teamed up to promote their events and painters by mounting an annual exhibit of plein air paintings.
The exhibit will be in a different Minnesota location every year. Our 2024 exhibit will be at the Bell Museum, the state's official natural history museum, on the University of Minnesota's Saint Paul campus.
Eligibility
Painters who have participated in Prairie Lakes Plein Air, Plein Air Grand Marais/Winter Plein Air Retreat, or Red Wing Plein Air may apply to display up to four (4) paintings in the exhibit. Paintings must be framed and wired, and created for one of the qualifying plein air events. Fill out one application for each painting.
Paintings will not be offered for sale in the exhibit, but an online prospectus of paintings and participating artists may include pricing and artist contact information.
Selection Criteria
Paintings included in the exhibit will be selected by representatives from the Bell Museum with input from organizers based on the following:
- Subject matter representative of each event's biome in Minnesota (Otter Tail County's Prairie Lakes region, Cook County's North Shore and BWCA, and Red Wing's Driftless Area)
- "Seven C's" of jurying plein air paintings as articulated in Bob Upton's article in OutdoorPainter.com
Deadline to Apply: Sunday, November 12, 2023
Activities
January 17-20, 2024: Participating artists drop off their framed, securely wired painting at the Bell during open hours, 10:00am to 4:00pm.
January 27, 2024: Exhibition opening and public programming including Berton Box pochades and plein air painting both outside in inside at picture windows. Artists will be asked to attend and volunteer to supervise, demonstrate painting, or engage with visitors.
February, March, April 2024: Specific dates TBD. Montly artist- and naturalist-guided tours of the exhibit, with a (one time) reception for artists and collectors/art enthusiasts.
May 11, 2024: Quick Paint outside at the museum. Participating artists and visitors will be provided with watermedia art materials will have 90 minutes to paint around the Bell Museum's Learning Landscape. Paintings will be displayed afterwards on tabletop easels in the museum's Horizon Hall as part of a meet-the-artists program.
May 26, 2024: Exhibition closing.
May 28-31, 2024: Artists pick up their painting during museum hours, 10:00am to 4:00pm.