The 2010 Denver Plein Air Festival Exhibition November 10, 2010

The Golden Triangle Museum District and the Denver Public Library present, “The 2010 Denver Plein Air Festival Exhibition”

DENVER— The 4th Annual Denver Plein Air Exhibition and Sale will be on view in the Vida Ellison Gallery, Level Seven, Denver Central Library, located at 10 West Fourteenth Avenue Parkway in Denver, November 10 through December 31. The exhibition opens in conjunction with Denver Arts Week, a citywide event celebrating the city’s cultural scene that runs November 5-13.

En plein air is a French expression that means, “in the open air” and is used to describe artwork that is made directly from life outdoors, not in a studio. Plein air painting is often associated with landscape painters and dramatic vistas, but the Denver Plein Air Arts Festival takes it to the streets of downtown Denver. Now in its fourth year, the DPAAF is the largest urban plein air festival in the country.

During the months of August and September, more than 100 artists painted in Denver’s beautiful Golden Triangle and downtown areas. Three hundred pieces were submitted for a juried competition and 120 were selected by judges for the exhibition. The distinguished judges are Jill Rosentrator, Director of Art in Public Places with the Colorado Council of the Arts, Rose Fredrick, Writer and Curator of the Coors Western Art Exhibit, Dean Sobel, Director of the Clyfford Still Museum.

The selected exhibition is a diverse mix of styles, mediums and local artists allowing visitors to enjoy work by Colorado’s best contemporary artists in one place. The fact that all of the paintings were completed somewhere in Denver provides a unifying sense of place and subject. Depictions of recognizable monuments hang next to intimate glimpses into hidden alleys, porches and buildings. This is a must-see event for collectors and connoisseurs of Colorado artists. Check out an online preview of the show at www.gtmd.org.

Several honors are awarded to distinguished entries, including Best in Show. Last year, Massey Dunbar won Best of Show for her spirited en plein air rendition of a parking meter. As a reward for her achievement, she received the opportunity for a solo show in the Byers-Evans House Gallery which will run in conjunction with the Denver Plein Air Exhibition at the Denver Public Library. Dianne L. Massey Dunbar: Painting the Ordinary, will be on view in the Byers-Evans House Gallery, located at 1310 Bannock Street in Denver, November 5 through November 30. There will be a free opening evening reception from 5 – 9 p.m. on Friday, November 5.

The Denver Plein Air Festival is produced by the Golden Triangle Museum District and hosted by the Denver Public Library. Located south of downtown, bordered by Lincoln, Speer and Colfax, & the 13th Avenue of the Arts and within walking distance of the Convention Center, the Golden Triangle Museum District (GTMD) is home to eight of the city's museums, including the Byers-Evans House, Colorado History Museum, Denver Art Museum (DAM), Denver Firefighters Museum, Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, the Molly Brown House, and the Clyfford Still Museum opening in 2009. Also within the District are the Denver Public Library, Curious Theatre Company, Denver Musicians Association, Colorado Ballet, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra and the Art Institute of Colorado. These cultural centers are interspersed with art galleries and open studios, as well as professional offices, specialty stores, salons, spas, coffee shops, bars and restaurants, all committed to "the art of living with art."

The Denver Plein Air Festival 2010 sponsors are the Denver Art Museum, Meininger’s, Southwest Art, the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion, Ralph Nagel Studio 208, American Art Collector, Downtown Denver Partnership, and the Byers-Evans House Museum of History Colorado.

Snapshot

The 2010 Denver Plein Air Festival Exhibition

Vida Ellison Gallery, Level Seven, Denver Central Library

Nov. 10 – Dec. 31. Gallery open daily, Mon. –Tues., 10 a.m.–8 p.m. , Wed – Fri. 10a.m. – 6p.m., Sat. 9a.m.-5p.m., Sun. 1p.m.-5p.m. Gallery admission is Free!

www.gtmd.org

www.denverlibrary.org