Do you sense a plein air trend? It’s good.
This June, a time when our wildflowers should be popping, the National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) will hold Plein Air Fest 2012 on museum grounds. A one-day event, the festival will feature approximately 40 artists painting from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Picture that!
It’s all part of NMWA’s opening week festivities that will celebrate the official opening of its new sculpture trail, designed by Oakland, California landscape architect Walter Hood. “Participating artists agree to arrive at the festival with an artwork no more than 25 percent completed, and the pressure is on as they must finish by 2 p.m.,” says the museum. “The Plein Air Festival’s fresh artworks will be sold by “intent to purchase” with potential buyers putting their name in a box next to the artist whose piece they’d like to own for a set price. The lucky purchaser for each piece will then be drawn at random.”
The public is invited to watch the artists work, and a BBQ cook-off, live music and kids creative activities are all scheduled. Artists will compete for a “Best in Show Award,” to be chosen by visitors. Tickets for the BBQ cook-off tasting/voting will be $10 for 10 tastes, $25 for unlimited tastes. The museum’s Rising Sage Café will also offer hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks for sale. www.wildlifeart.org
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Filmmaker Peter Pilafian, now dividing his time between Park City, Utah and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is at work on a new television series, “Inside Art: The Magical Gallery Tour.” The program explores Utah’s art galleries and their artists, with an emphasis on the cultural side of Salt Lake City, Utah. Pilafian’s film production company, Horizon Pictures Inc., is known for its award-winning film and television productions.
Pilafian proposes that “each half-hour episode will feature two different gallery owners talking about their space, their motivation, and their philosophy of exhibiting and selling art. We will go behind the scenes and see how they put a show together. And most importantly, we will visit one of their prominent artists in his or her studio, see how a piece is created, and delve into the mind and heart of the artist.” Pilafian plans on creating a series of short, web-based videos that will be available for appropriate websites. Additionally, Pilafian plans on using audio tracks by Utah-based musicians for each episode.
For more information, contact producer Pilafian via email: [email protected] Cell phone: 310.849.8090.
Tammy Christel 
