4th Annual Evanston Plein Air Festival • July 16 -20, 2025
Evanston Made presents the 4th Annual Evanston Plein Air Festival: July 16-20, 2025. This citywide summer arts festival invites the community to plein air art events and competitions hosted in every neighborhood, accessible and free for all!
Watch competing artists paint in the Plein Air style, capturing Evanston’s beauty.
Click here to register to compete.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
July 16 – 19, Paint Outs. Paint Outs are “quick paint” competitions for competing plein air painters! Watch painters work during the painting time and join us for award ceremonies. Check back for details.
Friday, July 18 – Plein Air Festival Block Party. Hosted by the Main Dempster Mile, everyone is invited to meet the competing artists, view the Paint Out competition, shop the plein air art market, enjoy live music and delicious drinks and bites! Main Street, between Hinman and Chicago Avenues. 5:30-7:30p.
Sunday, July 20, Plein Air Festival Grand Finale. Join us for an afternoon of art, awards, a plein air cafe and an Outdoor Art Market where artists will sell their work “off the easel”. Rotary’s Café International will have delicious food and wine for sale, with outdoor seating to relax and enjoy the festival. Hosted by Evanston Made and Rotary International, this event is FREE to attend. Hosted at Rotary International, Downtown Evanston, 1560 Sherman Ave., 12-4p
3rd Annual Evanston Plein Air Festival
Thank you to our judges and more than 600 people who voted Festival Favorite. Evanston Made’s 3rd Annual Evanston Plein Air Festival was a success!
Plein Air Festival Finale Winning Artists:
Judges: Mark Cleveland, Nina Weiss, Thomas Trausch
Best of Show – David R. Becker
Second Place – Amanda Stenlund
Third Place – Robert Holmes
Honorable Mention – Shabad Kaur Khalsa
Honorable Mention- Jianqiao Luan
First Place Amateur- Lucy Clary
Festival Favorite – Jianqiao Luan
Alley Gallery Award for Evanston Made Artist – Maria Delton
Mark Cleveland Founders Award – Kurt Ritterpusch
Paint Outs
- Bastille Day Nocturne hosted at LeTour. Winner: Patrick Perry, Judge: Yun Park
- Church & Dodge. Winning Artist: Cory Wright, Judge: Mark Cleveland
- Downtown Evanston. Winning Artist: David R. Becker, Judges: Darren Oberto and Ross Martens
- Arrington Pond. Winning Artist: Abdoulaye Conde, Judges: Matt Puchalski and Katherine Gotsick
- Central Street by Independence Park. Winning Artist: Don Yang, Judge: Laurie Kennard
- Noyes Street. Winning Artist Lucy Clary, Judge: Nina Weiss
***
Evanston Made presents the 3rd Annual Evanston Plein Air Festival: July 12-21, 2024. This citywide summer arts festival invites the community to plein air art events and competitions hosted in every neighborhood, accessible and free for all!
Watch competing artists paint in the Plein Air style, capturing the beauty of Evanston’s natural and built environment and favorite landmarks. Festival Map
Plein Air Festival Paint Outs, July 13-19, 2024
Paint Outs are “quick paint” competitions for competing plein air painters! Watch painters work during the painting time. Join us for award ceremonies to see paint out winners. See below for times and locations across Evanston, free to attend.
Saturday, July 13
- Bastille Day Nocturne Paint Out: LeTour, Judge: Yun Park
- Winning Artist: Patrick Perry
Monday, July 15
- Painting Area: Church & Dodge, Judge: Mark Cleveland
- Award Ceremony: C&W Market and Ice Cream, 1901 Church St.
- Winning Artist: Cory Wright
Tuesday, July 16
- Painting Area: Downtown Evanston, Judges: Darren Oberto and Ross Martens
- Award Ceremony: Alley Gallery, 1712 Rear 2, Sherman Ave.
- Winning Artist- David R. Becker
Wednesday, July 17
- Painting Area: Arrington Pond, Judges: Matt Puchalski and Katherine Gotsick
- Award Ceremony: CoCo Design & Build, 602 Dempster St.
- Winning Artist- Abdoulaye Conde
Thursday, July 18
- Painting Area: Central Street by Independence Park, Judge: Laurie Kennard, Exec. Director PAPC
- Awards Ceremony: DeSalvo’s Pizza, 1945 Central St.
- Winning Artist- Don Yang
Friday, July 19
- Painting Area: Noyes Street, Judge: Nina Weiss
- Award Ceremony: Sarah Kaiser Artist Studio, 927 Noyes St.
- Winning Artist- Lucy Clary
Sunday, July 21, Plein Air Festival Grand Finale
Festival Award Ceremony: 3:30p
Art Market with Artists on Site: 12-4p
Hosted at Rotary International, Downtown Evanston, 1560 Sherman Ave.
Finale Winning Artists:
Best of Show- David Becker
Second Place- Amanda Stenlund
Third Place- Robert Holmes
Honorable Mention- Shabad Kaur Khalsa
Honorable Mention- Jianqiao Luan
First Place Amateur- Lucy Clary
Festival Favorite- Jianqiao Luan
Alley Gallery Award for Evanston Artist- Maria Delton
Mark Cleveland Founders Award- Kurt Ritterpusch
Thank you to our SPONSORS!
This festival is made possible by the following festival sponsors; Blick Evanston, Central Street, The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University, Masterpiece Framing & Imaging, Neighborhood and Community Relations at Northwestern University, Romano Wealth Management, Downtown Evanston, The Brown Team, Hagerty Consulting, The Main Dempster Mile, Rotary International, Evanston Arts Council, City of Evanston Economic Development Great Merchant Grant
Artist prizes provided in part by the following sponsors: Alley Gallery, Blick Corporate, Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, Golden Paints, Guerilla Painter. Judson Plein Air Outfitters, and Festival Founder-Mark Cleveland
Press:
Evanston Roundtable Plein-Air-Festival-takes-place-july-12-to-24
Evanston Roundtable At-this-time-like-paris
Evanston Now-artists-go-al-fresco-in-evanston
Evanston Roundtable 7.16.24-out-of-town-artists-come-to-evanston/
Evanston Roundtable Monday Church & Dodge Paint Out winner
Evanston Rountable Tuesday Downtown Paint Out winner
Evanston Roundtable Wednesday Arrington Lagoon Paint Out winner
Evanston Roundtable Thursday Central Street Paint Out winner
Evanston Roundtable Friday Noyes Street Paint Out winner
Artist Preview:
