"Painting the Town" has New Meaning in Kansas City

Top Quote Artists from across the country will gather for a four-day Painting Fest to capture the natural beauty of Penn Valley Park and downtown Kansas City competing for $4,000 in prizes. The event will conclude with a gala reception and art auction. End Quote
  • Kansas City, MO-KS (1888PressRelease) April 10, 2014 - The Penn Valley Park Conservancy announces the 2014 Penn Valley Park Plein Air Fest, a unique artists' competition and art lovers' event that will showcase the exceptional beauty of Penn Valley Park and raise funds to preserve and enhance this vital urban green space.

    The 2014 Plein Air Fest is expected to draw artists from across the country for a four-day Painting Festival where artists are tasked with capturing the spirit and beauty of the park through painting en plein air. Plein air painting challenges artists to work fast to capture a quickly changing environment onto paper or canvas. Artists will have from 8 a.m. May 7th through 4 p.m. May 10th to compete in the painting event. In addition, three "Quick Paint" competitions, where artists compete in timed events within a designated area, will be held on May 8th 5-7 p.m., May 9th 5-7 p.m., and May 10th noon-2 p.m.

    Nationally recognized plein air artist Phil Starke will judge all competitions, and selected works of art will be displayed at Buttonwood Art Space in downtown Kansas City and auctioned at a reception at the close of the event. Mr. Starke will be conducting a three-day workshop for plein air artists, as well as performing a free plein air instructional demonstration for high school students on May 10th.

    The 2014 Plein Air Fest will culminate in a ticketed reception and preview party at Buttonwood Art Space. 3013 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64108 to showcase the art, award prizes, and offer the art for sale. You may purchase $20 tickets at www.pennvalleypark.org. After the reception an exhibit of the artwork will be held at Buttonwood through June 27, 2014.

    "This is the perfect family event for anyone who loves art, Kansas City, and the great outdoors," says Kirk Peterson, Chair of the Plein Air Fest. "There's no admission fee for the public, and all are welcome to just stop by the park and watch painters from across the country gather to create dramatic reinterpretations of nature and the city. It should be a wonderful event and outdoor opportunity."

    For more information about the 2014 Plein Air Fest, please visit pennvalleypark.org.

    About Penn Valley Park:
    Penn Valley Park is one of the natural jewels of Kansas City. In 1893, under the direction of George Kessler, Kansas City established its park and boulevard system that blessed this city with 10 miles of boulevards and 325 acres of parks, becoming a model for park and boulevard syttems in cities throughout the United States. Penn Valley Park hosts 175 beautiful acres that George Kessler believed were "intended by nature for park purposes." To this day, the park continues to pay homage to his masterful skill as a landscape architect, acting as a home to a lake, tennis courts, skateboard park, softball fields, dog park, and fitness trail, as well as the World War I Museum and several memorials.

    Penn Valley Park Conservancy is a 501(c) (3) corporation formed in March 2010 by community volunteers. Its goal is to preserve and enhance historic Penn Valley Park as a vital urban green space and as a recreational and cultural resource for the enjoyment of all through education, advocacy and public/ private partnerships. To do this, PVPC acts as a collective voice for Stakeholders and as a leader in parks and recreation management for Penn Valley Park by connecting people to green space, history, active living, and the community in a financially sustainable manner.

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