Whenever an organization undertakes an enormous event, you put all the details in place, bring the players together, get the marketing out and hope for the best.
For the past two years, the Sedona Arts Center has been dealing with COVID-19 and its limitations. We’ve adapted and adjusted and basically hold as many events as we can outside. We were pleased with how well last year’s Sedona Plein Air Festival went since it was our first big post-lockdown event. But this year’s festival was a resounding success.
This year’s artists came from Maine to California and everywhere in between. We had one artist who had never painted in a Plein Air event before — you’d never have known it — and many who have been doing this for over 30 years.
After last year’s festival, we polled the artists and asked for feedback. That led to several changes we implemented this year — including adding an Artist Meet & Greet at the beginning and a Paint Out at the Sedona Airport. Both were extremely well-attended with about 150 people at each. The Plein Air galleries also saw fantastic foot traffic all week with about 1,500 people passing through. Because of the strong attendance we expected a great turnout at the Awards Night party and we weren’t disappointed, with about 300 people stopping by to enjoy the art, great food, wine and beer.
We were extremely nervous about sales this year due to inflation, fears of a recession and general political uncertainty. But our worries were for naught, as we sold over $55,000 worth of art — with 60% of the proceeds going to the artists and 40% into our coffers to support our operations and programs.
The artists love this event. They consider it an “artist camp” where they work extremely hard but also find plenty of time to enjoy themselves over the course of the nine-day event. This is how they make their livings. All of them are represented by galleries around the country. Many teach workshops to supplement their income. But travelling to Plein Air events is the primary way they attract collectors and make money.
Another important component of an event like this is the awards. We provided over $12,000 in awards throughout the course of the Festival. These prizes attract top artists and give the winners a nice boost along the way.
The winners for this year’s festival:
- Main Street Paint Out: First place, Bill Meuser for “Standing Majestic”; second place, Gretchen Lopez for “Marvillosa”; third place, Krystal Brown for “Untitled”. Honorable mentions: Eileen Guernsey Brown, “Rim Light”; Bruce Gomez, “McGrew’s Thought”; Michelle Held, “Cowboy Way”; Durree Waseem, “Stripes Against the Rocks”; and Ellie Wilson, “Views From Main”.
- L’Auberge Creekside Paint Out: First place, Michelle Held for “The Rush”; second place, Jennifer Taylor for “The Enchantment”; third place, Bruce Gomez for “La Esperanza de Otono”. Honorable mentions: Tom Conner, “Minor Riffles”; Gretchen Lopez, “Beautiful Morning”; Betsy Menand, “Sedona Reflections”; Manon Sander, “Morning Reflections”; and Elizabeth St. Hilaire, “Along the Creek”.
- Airport Paint Out: First place, Ellie Wilson for “Swift Changes”; second place, Jennifer Taylor for “Sunset on Mingus”; third place, Casey Cheuvront for “Runway 21”. Honorable mentions: Krystal Brown, “Window on the World”; Tom Connor, “Late Light”; Duree Waseem, “Orange”; Eileen Guernsey Brown, “Into the Light”; and Manon Sander, “Evening Glow”.
Awards Night winners:
- Best of Show: Krystal Brown for “Sun Salutation”; second place, Ellie Wilson for “Sunset on Brins”; third place, Bill Meuser for “Here & Beyond”. Honorable mentions: Carol Douglas, “Cypresses & Sunlight”; Bruce Gomez, “Jardine’s Sail Through the Years”; Eileen Guernsey Brown, “Valley View”; Gretchen Lopez, “Guardians of the Chapel”; and Durre Waseem, “That’s My Pumpkin”.
- Best Nocturne: Patrick Okrasinski for “Bell Rock Nocturne”.
- Best Red Rocks: Casey Cheuvront for “The Great Escape”.
- Best Architecture: Michelle Held for “Midgley Bridge”.
- Best Abstract: Elizabeth St. Hilaire for “Wind-Swept Juniper”.
- Artist Choice: Ellie Wilson
- Collector’s Choice: Michelle Held for “The Rush”.
On our final sale day, we held Artist Games in which the artists were assigned to teams and then competed against each other for bragging rights and candy. The resulting pieces are for sale in our gallery for $250 each with all proceeds benefiting the Arts Center. The winning team included Barbara Mulleneaux, Patrick Okrasinski, Jennifer Taylor and Ellie Wilson.
None of this would have been possible without the support of our sponsors. The many volunteers, artist hosts and Arts Center staff worked tirelessly throughout the week to make sure all these events ran smoothly. Thanks to everyone who attended, purchased art and supported the artists. We are already looking forward to next year’s festival, which will take place from Oct. 20 through Oct. 28, 2023.
To learn more about the Sedona Arts Center and all that we do, visit SedonaArtsCenter.org
