Flora & Fauna - The Plein Air Experience, 2023

River Arts Alliance is partnering with the Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) to present our inaugural plein air project, a weekend of workshops, demonstrations, an invitational exhibition, and public events in Winona, MN centered around the celebration of the Upper Mississippi’s flora and fauna. Flora & Fauna - The Plein Air Experience, 2023 will take place from Thursday, September 28 through Sunday, October 1.

Schedule of Events

The following events are free and open to the public:

Group Invitational Exhibition by Featured Plein Air Artists | Thursday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Oct. 1 | 10 am to 5 pm each day | Atrium at MMAM

Twelve of the finest plein air painters in Minnesota and Wisconsin have been invited to exhibit a selection of their works in the atrium at MMAM during Flora & Fauna - The Plein Air Experience, 2023. Many of the works featured will be for sale. This atrium exhibition can be visited for free, but admission charges apply to the rest of the MMAM galleries (museum admission is free for students on Thursdays).

Works by master watercolorist and workshop instructor David R. Smith will be included in this exhibition. Several works by workshop instructors Kami Mendlik and Fred Somers are currently on view at MMAM.

See the list of featured artists here.

Opening Reception | Thursday, Sept. 28 | 7-8:30 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm | MMAM

Meet the artists participating in the plein air invitational exhibition at a public opening reception on Thursday evening. The brief program beginning at 7:00 pm will include a conversation with master artists and workshop instructors Kami Mendlik, Fred Somers, and David R. Smith, facilitated by MMAM Executive Director Scott Pollock. A cash bar will be available and light refreshments will be provided.

Plein Air Painting Demonstrations by Featured Artists | Friday, Sept. 29 & Saturday, Sept. 30 | Various times & locations in Winona

Eight of the featured artists participating in the invitational exhibition will also give free, public painting demonstrations at various locations around Winona on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29 and 30. The demonstration schedule is as follows:

Please bring your own lawn chair or blanket if you would like to be seated while watching a demonstration.

Group "Paint-Out" on the Levee | Friday, Sept. 29 | 4 pm-evening | Levee Park in downtown Winona

UPDATE 5:30 PM 9/29: It's been a great day of plein air activities so far! It looks like most of our painters are taking a break right now. Feel free to spend some time painting on your own at Levee Park. Otherwise, we'll see you there a little later this evening at about 6:30 for the start of our next official demos, nocturne painting with Hannah C. Heyer and Joshua Cunningham. Watch for "painting event" signs and/or social media updates to find the specific area in the park where they'll be setting up.

Bring your easels, paint and brushes (or the art supplies for your medium of choice) to join an informal, public, group paint-out at Levee Park on Friday afternoon and evening, on the banks of the Mississippi River under a full moon! Sunset is at 6:51 pm and moonrise is at 7:10 pm. Feel free to start painting earlier in the afternoon; 4 pm is the end time of earlier events for the day. Nocturne painting demonstrations by Joshua Cunningham and Hannah C. Heyer will take place Friday evening at Levee Park (approximate start time 6:30 pm; watch for updates).

Off-The-Easel Share-In & Closing Social | Sunday, Oct. 1 | 9-10 am | Oberton Education Room at MMAM

Before visiting participants head home from Winona, featured artists, workshop instructors and students, art patrons and the general public are all invited to gather once more at MMAM for a closing social. Set up your easels to show off some of what you've learned and created during the weekend! Some works painted in Winona by participating artists during Flora & Fauna - The Plein Air Experience, 2023 may be available for sale by arrangement with the individual artists. Coffee, tea, and baked goods will be provided.

Paint with Us in Winona!

We welcome plein air artists from near and far to take part in Flora & Fauna: The Plein Air Experience, 2023 by spending time painting outdoors in and around the Winona community during these four days. Join the group paint-out at Levee Park on Friday, paint along during one of the demonstrations above, or at a time and place of your choosing. A map of Winona with some selected landmarks, public parks, etc., as possible painting locations is available here. To share your work with us on social media, tag @riverartsalliance on Instagram or River Arts Alliance - RAA on Facebook.

If you are traveling to Winona for this event, we encourage you to check out the resources from our friends at Visit Winona, including Food & Drink and Things To Do.

Workshops

The following two-day, intensive workshops taught by master artists are being offered as part of this event:

From Borders to Betweens and Beyond: Plein Air As Information and Inspiration, led by Fred Somers and Kami Mendlik (Host Studio: Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Oberton Education Room). Workshop fee: $500. See supply list here. Note: please bring the supplies listed from one of the two sections of this list, for either oil painting or pastels, depending on which medium you prefer to work in. It is not necessary to bring both. Workshop content will be applicable for both media.

Watercolor Journey, led by David R. Smith (Host Studio: Mississippi Mornings Art Studio). Workshop fee: $400. See supply list here.

Each workshop is from 9 am to 4 pm on Friday, Sept. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 30. Click on each title above to see a full description and learn more about the instructors. To register for a workshop, click here. Each is limited to 16 participants.

MSAB logo
Legacy logo

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.