The Maryland Center for the Arts will host the 7th annual Harford Plein Air Painting Festival on Sept. 17-18, 2021. This year’s Harford Plein Air Festival features 30 artists from various states including Ohio, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. These 30 artists were selected from an application pool of 40.

The artist selected include:

Beth Bathe, Lancaster, PA
Anthony Bowes, Chesterfield, VA
Claudia Brookes, Monkton, MD
Lisa BurgerLentz, Media, PA
Henry Coe, Parkton, MD
Shawn Costello, West Friendship, MD
Ann Crostic, Baltimore, MD
Vlad Duchev, Baltimore, MD
John Eiseman, Baltimore, MD
Kathleen Gray Farthing, Alliance, OH
Matt Fenton, Baltimore MD
David Finnell, Charlottesville, VA
Greg Johannesen, Port Republic, MD
Rajendra KC, Falls Church, VA
Jane Knighton, Glenwood, MD
Kathleen Kotarba, Baltimore MD
Michael Kotarba, Baltimore MD
Denise Matuk Kroupa, Baltimore MD
Michael McSorley, Washington, DC
Amanda Milliner, Severn, MD
Crystal Moll, Baltimore MD
Martha Pileggi, Milford, DE
Chris Rapa, Catonsville, MD
Jim Rehak, Seaford, DE
Tom Ritchie, Baltimore, MD
Maggii Sarfaty, Easton MD
Ann Schaefer, Bethesda, MD
Barbara Stepura, White Plains MD
Mary Veiga, Baltimore, MD
Lori Yates, Easton, MD

Eric Fuson, executive director of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in St. Joseph, Missouri, served as the artist entry juror. All juried artists will submit a maximum of five paintings for award consideration; artists from outside of Harford County may enter a maximum of two works painted outside of Harford County for Honorable Mention award consideration only.

This year’s artists will paint from July 1-Sept. 16. The public will then be able to attend the Collector’s Preview Party and Awards Ceremony Friday, Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Paintings and tickets to the preview party are available for purchase on the Maryland Center for the Arts website.

The Quick-Draw competition, sponsored by the Havre de Grace Arts Collective, is a two-hour, timed event for the juried and community and youth artists in Havre de Grace that will take place on Saturday, Sept.18 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Nocturne Paint-Out, sponsored by the Bel Air Cultural Arts Commission, will take place on Thursday, Sept. 16, starting at 6:30 p.m., in downtown Bel Air. A full listing of the events can be found here.

Yumi Hogan, the first lady of Maryland, faculty member at the Maryland Institute College of Art and accomplished artist, will serve as the judge for this year’s “Spirit of Maryland” award.

“We are overjoyed to have the first lady serve as this year’s judge for the Plein Air Festival. Yumi Hogan’s inspiring passion for art has shown through her efforts as First Lady of Maryland.” Said Dr. Bob Willenbrink, executive director of the Maryland Center for the Arts. “She is dedicated to spreading the healing power of art to all Marylander and is also very experienced in judging numerous art exhibitions. We cannot wait to welcome Yumi to the festival.”

Works will be exhibited and available for sale at a free exhibition on Saturday, Sept.18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Bel Air Armory. The Liriodendron Mansion will also host a limited exhibition of works from the festival on Wednesdays, Sept. 22 & 29 and Oct. 6, 13, & 20 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Sunday, Oct. 10 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. and by appointment. All paintings will be available for purchase virtually on the Maryland Center for the Arts website from Sept. 19 – Nov. 20.

Sponsors for the Harford Plein Air Festival include Harford Mutual Insurance Group, Havre de Grace Arts Collective, The Liriodendron Mansion, Hopkins Farm Brewery, the Bel Air Rotary, and the Bel Air Cultural Arts Commission.

For more information on tickets and sponsorship, please visit mdcenterforthearts.org

About the Maryland Center for the Arts

The Maryland Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, Inc. (Maryland Center for the Arts) is dedicated to the mission to provide a broad range of creative and collaborative experiences in quality education, presentations, and exhibits in all disciplines of the arts; and to build and operate a visual and performing arts center for the region to have greater access to quality spaces to exhibit, present, and participate in the arts.

Set on 41 acres of woods in Harford County with easy access to I-95, the new arts campus will house a multipurpose community arts center, 500+seat amphitheater, educational buildings with studios and classrooms, nature trails, and other resources to nurture the state’s vibrant arts community. Maryland Center for the Arts partners with Bear Legacy to maintain MCA’s public walking trails known as the Bear Legacy Adventure Trail at the wooded property at 2503 S. Tollgate Road Bel Air, Maryland.