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VIP Passport Competition Preview – PASSPORT Ticketed Event

May 16 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
AwardsCeremony 0661

🎨 VIP Passport Competition Preview

An Exclusive First Look at 40+ Newly Revealed Works

Saturday, May 16 • 5:00–6:00 PM

The anticipation builds all week — and on Saturday afternoon, everything changes.

Just hours before the preview begins, the artists return to the gallery. They carefully step back into the space, reassess their work, refine their selections, and re-curate their displays in preparation for judging and the VIP unveiling. Frames are adjusted. Compositions are reconsidered. Final decisions are made.

What you experience at 5:00 PM is the result of those final, focused choices.

Inside the gallery, more than 115 competition paintings fill the walls — including 40+ works unveiled for the very first time that evening.

As a VIP guest, you will:

🎨Have first opportunity to purchase competition paintings before the public opening
🎨 Be among the first to see 40+ brand-new unveilings
🎨Meet the artists immediately following their final display preparations — when the excitement is still fresh
🎨Enjoy curated wine, beer, and a signature cocktail paired with elegant hors d’oeuvres
🎨Celebrate the moment with live music and a gallery buzzing with anticipation

This is not just a preview.
It is the charged pause between completion and recognition — the moment before the awards are decided.

Collectors love this hour. The artists feel it. The energy is unmistakable.

 

The exhibiton opens to the public immediately following the preview.

NC Plein Air Art Festival Awards Celebration

The Grand Public Reveal & Festival Finale

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

At 6:00 PM, the doors open wide and the celebration begins.

Join us as jurors recognize the standout works of the week and the gallery fills with artists, collectors, and community members gathered to celebrate creativity along the coast.

The evening includes:

  • Announcement of festival award winners
  • Public viewing of the full competition exhibition, including the 40+ newly unveiled works
  • The complete Beaufort collection, including paintings not previously displayed in New Bern’s main gallery
  • Live music and vibrant conversation
  • Local food trucks and beverages available for purchase
  • Continued art sales throughout the evening
The brushes are down.
The walls are set.
The awards are announced.

 

Now the celebration belongs to everyone.

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