NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla., Sept. 24, 2020 – The 10th annual Plein Air Paint Out is set for Oct. 21-24, and will once again be hosted by the Marine Discovery Center and The Artists’ Workshop NSB.
This event combines art and nature when 21 nationally recognized artists travel to New Smyrna Beach to create outdoor paintings from dawn to dusk. Artists paint at various locations throughout the city and surrounding areas, interpreting natural flora, fauna, landmarks and landscapes onto canvas.
“The New Smyrna Beach Plein Air Paint Out in 2020 is going to have a little different look and feel this year due to Covid-19, but we anticipate a lot of interest in this year’s events,” said Wendy Castino, marketing and fund development coordinator at the Marine Discovery Center and co-coordinator of the 2020 Paint Out.
The Friends of Canaveral launched the inaugural Plein Air Paint Out in 2010, with proceeds benefitting Canaveral National Seashore. By 2017, the event began dedicating its proceeds to the nonprofit Marine Discovery Center, which now shares all proceeds with another local nonprofit, the Artists Workshop NSB.
There will be several changes at this year’s event, due to Covid-19. The Paint Out originally was held over six days, but it will be staged over four days this year.
In addition, organizers have designed different socially distanced ways for art enthusiasts to view and purchase pieces of art created and displayed throughout the week in the gallery at the shared MDC/Artists’ Workshop location at 540 Barracuda Boulevard in New Smyrna Beach.
“You can physically visit the gallery wearing a mask, which will have a floor plan designed with one entrance and one exit to provide spacing between guests,” said Castino.
“We will also have TV monitors in the pavilion area outside of the wet gallery and the created works of art may be viewed by a virtual gallery, which will be uploaded twice each day onto the event’s website,” Castino added. “Each painting will be numbered and we’ll have a volunteer available who can go into the gallery and bring the piece of art out to you. You never have to step one foot into the gallery.”
Another option for art enthusiasts who prefer not to leave home will be to view the works of art through the virtual gallery online at www.NSBpaintout.com. A special hotline number will be provided for purchases that may be processed by phone.
In addition to works of art produced during the week of the Paint Out, each guest artist will bring up to five paintings they created during this year’s COVID-19 quarantine.
Art demonstrations by the accomplished artists will take place outdoors throughout the four-day event around New Smyrna Beach. Event organizers hope to record the demonstrations and place them on a Youtube page for viewing.
The 2020 Plein Air Paint Out will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 17, with simultaneous events set from 9:30-11:30 am with a Kids Paint Too! event at MDC, while the annual “Quick Draw” event will be staged at Old Fort Park, located at 115 Julia Street.
Registration for the Kids Paint event will be held online only. Young artists ages 12-16 may participate and cost is $20 per student. The event is limited to the first 20 registrants.
All levels of artists may compete in the two-hour competitive “Quick Draw” event. Registration will be held online or from 8:30-9:15 a.m. on the day of the event at Old Fort Park. Professional artists will compete for cash prizes and one automatic vetting as a guest artist in the 2021 Paint Out. Novices will win gift certificates.
One free event will be a demonstration of the Japanese fish-printing art form called Gyotaku by Ken Nusbaum. The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10-11 a.m. at Old Fort Park.
Paint Out patrons and sponsors are invited to the opening reception, set from 8-11 a.m., on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The event will be held in the pavilion area of the MDC/Artists’ Workshop building and will feature a French café and coffee bar. A “Blending of the Brushes,” in which five artists will combine to complete a progressive work of art, will be staged that morning during the opening reception.
In a new twist during a pandemic year, a “Mask”uerade party and final art sales will be held from 4-8 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 24 in the center’s outdoor pavilion area. Attendees will be required to wear masks at this event and encouraged to decorate their masks. The best-decorated mask will win a $50 gift certificate.
“We’re just trying to make the best of this challenging pandemic year,” Castino said. “We know people want to get outside and that they really look forward to this event each year to see artwork created in their own community.”
For full details of the schedule of events and to view the virtual gallery during Paint Out week, visit NSBPaintOut.com
Art patrons and sponsors seeking more information may call 386-428-4828 or contact [email protected] at the Marine Discovery Center, and Cheryl Faber, president of the Artists’ Workshop NSB at [email protected].
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