The Grand Canyon’s beauty has been captivating artists for decades, and the annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art asks plein air painters to use their brushes to capture the canyon along the South Rim as they see it. The Celebration of Art is in its 15th year, but the relationship between arts and the national parks goes way back. “Artworks by famous artists early in the 20th century is what really got most Americans to know about the new national parks that were in the United States,” says Mindy Riesenberg, director of marketing and communications of the Grand Canyon Conservancy. “It’s a great way to show how the intersection of art and our national parks and art and nature.”
Twenty-four juried artists from eight different states will gather at the Grand Canyon from Sept. 9 to 16. During this time, those artists will paint the Grand Canyon live and outdoors or en plein air. On Sept. 15, artists will compete in a paint out. On Sept. 16, artists will paint a sunrise, a new event. On Sept. 17, the grand opening of the Celebration of Art will take place. The paintings created during the event will be exhibited and sold in person at the Kolb Studio and online at shop.grandcanyon.org from Sept. 17, 2023 to Jan. 15, 2024.
The Grand Canyon Celebration of Art is another way to experience and support arts at the famed national park. Money raised from the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art funds the artists in residency at the park. Funds raised are also earmarked for the construction of a future art venue in the park. The venue is slated to house collections of art stored at the Grand Canyon that are currently not available for public viewing. Above all, the Celebration of Art honors a world landmark. “If you are an art collector, or if you’re somebody who wants to bring home a piece of the Grand Canyon with you, what better way than these beautiful paintings by award-winning plein air artists?” says Mindy. − Teresa K. Traverse
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