Current & Upcoming Events

OPM's largest annual event, Plein Air Grand Marais, is an outdoor painting festival and competition on the North Shore of Lake Superior. 2020 PAGM was a great success in a challenging year for large gatherings and art events. About half of registered participants painted from home or remotely, and we had about 45 painters in Grand Marais for Competition Week. The Quick Paint on Thursday, September 17, 2020 was well attended, and we enjoyed spectacular weather with brilliant fall colors.

The Open Class and Competition Exhibits are published online at PleinAirGrandMarais.org. Jurying took place the week of September 21-25, with a virtual Awards Reception via Zoom at 6:00pm on Friday, September 25, 2020.

A limited physical exhibit of Competition paintings is on display in Grand Marais through October 10, 2020, at 1-4pm on Fridays and 10a-2p on Saturdays at:

Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery (JHP)
115 W. Wisconsin St.
Grand Marais, MN 55604

To see photos from Competition Week and an artist's eye video tour of the paintings at JHP, visit OPM on Facebook.
The PAGM Quick Paint was held from 3:30-5:00pm on Thursday, September 17, 2020. The Open Class winner selected by juror Neil Sherman was David Becker (above left), a watercolor painter from Ingleside, IL. The Competition Class winner selected by juror Kathie Wheeler was Bob Upton (above right), an oil painter from St. Paul, MN.

Fall Members' Show at FrameWorks

OPM members are invited to share their best plein air painting from 2020 for exhibit at FrameWorks Gallery in Highland Shopping Center.

FrameWorks Gallery
2022A Ford Pkwy
St Paul, MN 55116

​Exhibit Dates: November 14, 2020 – January 2, 2021

Watch for Sign Up and additional details about reception/virtual reception, painting drop-off and pick-up.

OPM Members' Workshop with Neil Sherman

Saturday, November 7, 2020 — 10:00am - 4:00pm
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
3815 American Blvd E, Bloomington MN 55425

Artists Respond | Call for Art

Art makes us human. In these convulsive times, art is being created in crucibles of grief, racial inequity, illness, economic anxiety, and yearning for peace and justice. OPM has created a venue for contemporary and historical protest art to inspire appreciation of the work being created now in context with great works of the past. Please email JPEG images of your art or suggestions for historical artists’ work to events@outdoorpaintersofminnesota.org. We’ll include the artist’s name, artwork title, and link to the artist’s web site or social media handle. With your help the slideshow below will grow. We hope it will inspire support for contemporary artists responding to this moment in history and the creation of more art.