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Meet & Greet with Featured Artists – Dueling Brushes & Auction

May 11 @ 5:30 pm - May 17 @ 8:00 pm
Saturday Awards Celebration RobbinHaigler 7644 2

Dueling Brushes

Monday, May 11, 2026 | 5:30–8:00 PM
New Bern Farmers Market

Get ready for one of the most exciting nights of the week—Dueling Brushes, a fast-paced, live painting competition where creativity meets strategy and teamwork.

Featured artists, grouped into teams of 3–4, will go brush-to-brush against rival teams to create a single collaborative painting in just 80 minutes. Once the clock runs out, teams have 10 minutes to frame their work before the finished paintings—signed by every team member—are sent straight to live auction.

The action will be narrated play-by-play by a high-energy auctioneer-style MC, calling the “plays,” momentum shifts, and creative strategies as the competition unfolds. Teams will cheer one another on, huddle to strategize, and race the clock to create the strongest painting possible.

Dueling Brushes also serves as a full Meet & Greet, with all featured artists present throughout the evening. Guests and collectors are invited to mingle, ask questions, and connect directly with the artists while exploring the artwork on display.

The main Exhibition and Sales Gallery will be fully hung by Monday morning, making May 11 a complete sales day. Wet canvases from the days work will be exhibited on the artists’s easels…for display and sale in the evening event.

This evening also hosts the New Bern Chamber of Commerce After Hours, creating a lively blend of art, business, and community.

Event highlights include:

  • Live team painting competition
  • Play-by-play narration by an auctioneer-style MC
  • Live auction of completed team paintings, signed by all team members
  • Meet & Greet with all featured artists
  • Sales Gallery fully installed by Monday morning
  • New wet paintings added daily throughout the week
  • Studio, field, and in-progress works available for purchase
  • Cash bar
  • Gourmet hot dog station

Fast. Fun. Loud. Creative.
This is art as sport—and the sales start early.

OPEN AND FREE TO THE PUBLIC (drinks and hot dogs for purchase)

REFRESHMENTS INCLUDED FOR VIP PASSPORT HOLDERS

Passports are presented to Sponsors and Donors as commiserate to the Sorolla, Cassatt, Monet, Van Gogh and Renoir levels.

PISSARO level donation $150 receive Two (2) VIP Passports for passage to:

  • 2 Tickets for the Meet & Greet event  Monday, May 11, 2026. 5:30-8:00. Your choice of wine or beverage and trip to Hot Dog Station.
  •  2 Tickets to the competition preview Saturday, May 16, 2026, 5:00-6:00. Hor d’oeuvres with with your choice wine, beer and special drink. Ticket holders will have first look and chance to buy available paintings before the awards ceremony. Artists choose three paintings to be judged for awards ($16K+ ), two may have already been sold during the week, but one of the three must be for sale during this event.
  • Your name (or family) will be listed as Special Friends of the North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival on signage in gallery and published material.

PISSARO LEVEL DONATION – VIP PASSPORT TICKET $150 – receive 2 VIP PASSPORTS

 

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