The Dunes Arts Foundation will host the First Brush of Fall, a Plein Air art competition where more than 30 top artists from around the region will compete for three days for a chance to win over $5,000 in cash prizes beginning Friday, September 21, 2018. The event will culminate in an awards ceremony and public art sale Sunday, September 23, 2018, 1:30PM CST, at the Dunes Summer Theatre, 288 Shady Oak Drive, Michiana Shores, Indiana 46360,
Sanctioned by Indiana Plein Air Painters Association (IPAPA), Plein Air artists, are painters who paint out-of-doors, typically iconic buildings and landscapes. Cash prizes to be awarded to artists include: Best of Show ($1,500-Horizon Bank); First Place ($1,000-NIPSCO); 2nd Place ($750-Blue Chip Casino); 3rd Place ($500- Sullair); and four Honorable Mentions ($250 each).
Gregg Hertzleib, Curator/Director for the Brauer Museum, at Valparaiso University serves as the competition’s judge.
Beginning Friday, artists must check in at the SFC Gallery located at 607 Franklin Street, downtown Michigan City, where they will be provided with suggested locations to paint throughout the day. On Saturday, a Ninety-Minute Quick Paint competition will take place around the Historic Arts District, downtown Michigan City, followed by more painting throughout the city. The Quick Paint competition begins promptly at 10:30am and ends at 12pm noon. The public is encouraged to come out and watch the painters as they create their works of art.