North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern

Gallery Talk with the Pros
2026-05-11 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-05-12 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-05-13 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-05-14 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-05-15 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | New Bern Farmer’s Market, 421 S Front Street, New Bern, NC, 28560, United States
Guest speaker TBA Soon
This is your chance to ask questions to last year’s top award winners and jurors:
• How are artists chosen?
• What criteria are considered by the selection jurors in reviewing applications?
• What award selection criteria does the award judge use?
• How does the organization decide on the featured artists for their selection process?
• How do award winners prepare themselves for competitions?
• What do artists look for when they first visit the communities they’re going to paint?
• What personal obstacles do artists overcome to produce their best work within the event guidelines?
• What do artists look for when choosing three competition paintings?
• What should people consider when building their own collections?
• How does an artist decide what they want to paint?
NC Plein Air Team Leaders and past award winners will be answering these and other questions daily from noon to 1 p.m. at the Exhibition Gallery. Specific topics will be published prior to the event to assist you with planning your week.

Meet & Greet with Featured Artists - Dueling Brushes & Auction
2026-05-11 17:30 - 2026-05-17 20:00 | NC
Dueling Brushes
Monday, May 11, 2026 | 5:30–8:00 PMNew 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, 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

Sip & Sketch with Ann & Kippy
2026-05-14 17:00 - 19:00 | New Bern Farmer’s Market, 421 S Front Street, New Bern, NC, 28560, United States
So you can’t draw a stick figure? That’s OK. There are no stick figures on the list of things to draw. Whether you are a beginner or more advanced, come with paper and pen/pencil in hand and get some tips from Ann and Kippy. Set aside two hours to get some skills under your belt and then try them out during the week as you watch the featured artists in their demonstrations.
Kippy and Ann are co-founders of NC Plein Air Art Festival but have been on an extended artistic journey since meeting at Kippy & Jerome’s La Bonne Etoile Artist Retreat in France..
Beverages paired with snack boxes will be available for purchase as donations to NC Plein Air Art Festival.

Register for limited space in this free event.
Kippy Hammond’s work has been recognized in numerous exhibitions and solo shows receiving national and international awards. Ms Hammond was a repeat demonstrator and lecturer at the International Association of Pastel Societies Biennial Convention and is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and the Southeastern Pastel Society and a former Salon International du Pastel international guest of honor. The artist graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Georgia in the USA. Owner of Hammond & Boyd Art School, Hammond also taught drawing for the Georgia Council of the Arts in the Residency Program and Art Bus.
Presently residing in France, she continues to paint landscapes and commissioned portraits for clients and galleries in the United States and Europe. A popular art instructor in pastel and oil painting, Ms Hammond travels and lectures on creativity and self mentoring. As the resident artist and director of La Bonne Etoile Artist Retreat in Fontaine-Fourches, France she hosts visiting international artists throughout the year. More … kippyhammond.com
Ann Dodys was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Stratford College in Danville, Virginia, Ann began her art career in Jacksonville Florida creating interior and exterior wall designs for both commercial and residential spaces.
Ann taught visual art in grades K-12 for 30 years. She earned a Masters in Art Education while teaching and producing unique and appealing works of art. Ann has worked with a variety of media over the years but fell in love with pastels after participating in a workshop outside of Paris, France. Ann has achieved Member of Excellence status with the Southeastern Pastel Society and has exhibited her work in various juried shows around the country. More… anndodys.com

Exhibition & Sales Gallery
2026-05-16 09:00 - 20:00 | New Bern Farmer’s Market, 421 S Front Street, New Bern, NC, 28560, United States
GALLERY CLOSED FOR JUDGING- 3:00 PM-6:00 PM
(Ticketed Reception 5 PM-6:00 PM – -REOPENS TO PUBLIC 6:00 PM
Festival headquarters, and the NC Plein Air Art Festival Exhibition and Sales Gallery will be based at Historic New Bern’s Farmers Market, less than two blocks from Tryon Palace..
Beginning Monday morning May 11, the Exhibition And Sales Gallery will open daily at 9 pm. A full exhibition of artwork by our featured artists will be on display and for sale, framed and ready to hang. The artists will arrive in New Bern with a collection of their current artwork, both plein air and studio paintings. These paintings will be replaced with wet canvases as the artists create a new body of work highlighting New Bern, Oriental, and Beaufort.
You will want to visit often as the collection changes daily as artwork is sold and replaced with new wet canvases. Our gallery greeters and sales team will be ready to help you find the perfect painting for your home or business.
Complete resumes and biographies are available at the main gallery. Special commissions can be discussed with our sales team.
The Exhibition Gallery will be closed for judging May 16, 2 pm -6 pm and will reopen for a Collector’s Preview and Awards Ceremony and Celebration (Limited tickets available for purchase here: https://ncpleinair.org/product/collectors-preview-awards-reception-tickets/
The Competition Exhibition with Award Winners will be open to the public (free) at 6:00 PM. Saturday, May 16 and again May 17, 8:30 AM – 1 PM.
HOW AND WHERE TO PURCHASE PAINTINGS All Paintings are Framed and ready to hang.
Main Exhibition Gallery OPEN DAILY 9 pm 421 S Front Street, New Bern, NC
POP-UP RECEPTION, May 15 – Beaufort Historic Site Gallery
100 Block Turner Street 4-6 pm
Sales Gallery at Farmers Market open daily 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Farmers Market Exhibition Gallery – Exceptional closing May 16, 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM for judging and donor preview. Reopen to public 6:00 PM – 8:00.

VIP Passport Competition Preview - PASSPORT Ticketed Event
2026-05-16 17:00 - 18:00 | New Bern Farmer’s Market, 421 S Front Street, New Bern, NC, 28560, United States
🎨 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 PMFree & 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.

NC Plein Air Art Festival Awards Celebration - free & open to the public
2026-05-16 18:00 - 20:00 | New Bern Farmer’s Market, 421 S Front Street, New Bern, NC, 28560, United States
Saturday, May 16 • 6:00–8:00 PMOpen 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.
