Crooked Tree Arts Center - Traverse City Announces 2018 Paint Grand Traverse Artists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 03/23/18
TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN - Crooked Tree Arts Center has announced a national field of 44 artists to participate in its inaugural Paint Grand Traverse event, a new week-long plein air (outdoor) painting festival and competition. Paint Grand Traverse will be held August 13-18, 2018 in Traverse City and the surrounding region, and will be an annual event.
Artists will compete for major cash awards at events throughout the week, and the work completed during the week will be available for purchase at the Paint Grand Traverse gala on August 18. Artists were invited to participate based on their work, and plein air painting experience and awards.
“Our goal was to entice top artists from across the state and the nation -- meaning artists who have won awards at other major plein air competitions and whose work is widely collected,” says Megan Kelto, Crooked Tree Arts Center’s associate director in Traverse City. “It can be a challenge for a first-year event to recruit that level of artist, but fortunately, the reputation of the Grand Traverse region and its remarkable beauty preceded our invitations, and artists were very enthusiastic about the opportunity. We are also featuring a number of excellent Michigan-based Crooked Tree member artists who came out of a very competitive application process.”
The 44 participating artists represent 14 states. Included in the field are Aimee Erickson, 2017 Laguna Beach Plein Air Invitational Best in Show; Bill Suys, 2017 Oil Painters of America National Exhibition (multiple awards); Stephanie Hartshorn, 2017 Laguna Beach Plein Air Invitational Award of Excellence winner; Elizabeth Pollie, 2015 Door County Plein Air Festival honorable mention; Brian Sindler, 2011 Door County Plein Air Festival Best in Show; and Suzie Baker, 2017 Telluride Plein Air first place. The masters competition awards will be juried by plein air painting luminary Ned Mueller.
Paint Grand Traverse artists Patrick Saunders, Suzie Baker, Cedar Kindy, Kevin Barton, and Ned Mueller will also teach workshops this summer at Crooked Tree Arts Center in Traverse City and Petoskey.
A full list of artists, including biographies and image galleries, as well as more information about Paint Grand Traverse, can be found online at www.paintgrandtraverse.com.
IMAGES
[Paint Grand Traverse logo (on black)]
[Paint Grand Traverse logo (on white)]
[Crooked Tree Arts Center logo]
[Paint Grand Traverse artist composite]
[Sample image: Aimee Erickson]
[Sample image: Patrick Saunders]
[Sample image: Elizabeth Pollie]
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Crooked Tree Arts Center is a non-profit arts organization, founded in 1971, with a mission to inspire and enrich lives through the arts. It offers exhibits, concerts, classes and workshops, lectures, special events, and more, from its locations in Petoskey and Traverse City, Michigan.
For more information, please visit the Crooked Tree Arts Center website at www.crookedtree.org, or call (231) 941-9488.
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Contact:
Crooked Tree Arts Center – Traverse City
322 Sixth Street, Traverse City, 49684
(231) 941-9488 megankelto@crookedtree.org www.crookedtree.org