Moments of Memory
MPAC is proud to mount its 2nd annual traveling exhibit of plein air paintings created in Plein Air Grand Marais, Prairie Lakes Plein Air, and Red Wing Plein Air. The paintings below are on display from January 26 to May 26, 2024 at the Bell Museum: Minnesota's official museum of natural history. Paintings are not offered for sale at the museum but may be available by contacting the artist to purchase after the exhibit ends.
Plein Air Grand Marais
These paintings were created for Plein Air Grand Marais, an annual plein air competition in September that is organized by Outdoor Painters of Minnesota and hosted by the Cook County Historical Society's Johnson Heritage Post Gallery. Painters may paint anywhere in Cook County, from Lake Superior to Superior National Forest and the eastern Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness accessed from the Gunflint Trail.
Winter Plein Air
Every winter, Outdoor Painters of Minnesota organizes a winter plein air painting retreat at YMCA Camp Menogyn, a wilderness camp off the Gunflint Trail at an entry to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Painters enjoy unstructured time to paint and enjoy the wondrous beauty of the north woods in winter.
Prairie Lakes Plein Air
Prairie Lakes Plein Air is an annual painting competition organized by Art of the Lakes Association, which has a gallery in Battle Lake. Painters may paint all summer throughout Otter Tail County, which has the highest concentration of lakes in all of Minnesota. Workshops and demonstrations are offered during the summer. A final reception and Quick Paint contest are held on a weekend at the end of summer, and paintings are exhibited through October.
Red Wing Plein Air
These paintings were completed during Red Wing Plein Air, an annual competition in June that is organized by Red Wing Arts. Painters may paint anywhere in Goodhue County. The region is part of the Driftless Area of the Mississippi River watershed with unglaciated bluffs, rolling pastures and rivers emptying into the mighty Mississippi.