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NC Plein Air Art Festival Awards Celebration – free & open to the public

May 16 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Plein Air New Bern Sat 4161

Saturday, May 16 • 6:00–8:00 PM
Open to the Public

At 6:00 PM, the doors open wide — and the decisive moment arrives.

Just hours earlier, artists stood in the gallery making final adjustments — refining placements, reconsidering sightlines, and preparing their strongest works for judgment. Now, the pause is over.

The exhibition is complete.
The walls are set.
The awards are about to be conferred.

Join us as the jurors formally recognize the week’s most exceptional achievements and the full competition exhibition is revealed in its final installation — more than 115 paintings, including 40+ works unveiled for the first time that evening.

The celebration includes:

  • Announcement of festival award recipients
  • Public presentation of the complete competition exhibition
  • The full Beaufort collection, including paintings not previously displayed in New Bern’s main gallery
  • Live music throughout the evening
  • Local food vendors and beverages available for purchase
  • Continued opportunities to acquire original works throughout the evening

This is the charged transition from competition to celebration — the moment when brushstrokes become honors, and collectors discover the works that will define this year’s festival.

For collectors, it is a rare opportunity to view the complete body of work — fully installed, freshly judged, and immediately available.

The decisions have been made.
The distinctions are announced.
The collection awaits.
THE CELEBRATION CONTINUES

  • Juror Russell Jewel will be sharing remarks on the award-winning pieces

    Russell Jewell is a nationally recognized watercolor painter and educator. He has served as a faculty member for the Plein Air Convention & Expo and is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America.

    Russell’s work has traveled with exhibitions of the American Watercolor Society and is widely respected for its mastery of light and atmosphere.

    Jewell’s accomplishments include a doctorate in Art Education from the University of Georgia and a Fulbright Memorial fund scholarship to Japan. J Judged Baltimore Watercolor Society Mid-Atlantic Watercolor Society 2024, Judging North Carolina Plein Air at New Bern 2026. Jewell has a US patent on a his own plein air viewfinder

Artwork sales will remain open throughout the celebration.

Details

Venue