Plein Air Abingdon

10/22/2026

🎨⏱️ FOUR HOURS. ONE CANVAS. LET THE CREATIVITY BEGIN!

The clock was ticking, the brushes were flying, and the pressure was ON!

We're continuing our celebration of the 10th Annual Plein Air Abingdon award winners with a little artistic race against time!

🏆 🏅Congratulations to our Quick Draw Winner, Lea Ackenbom-Doise of Virginia! https://www.leadoise.art

What's a Quick Draw? Artists have just FOUR HOURS MAX to create and complete an original painting—from the first brushstroke to the finishing touch! No pressure, right? 😉 Lea rose to the challenge, turning a blank canvas into an award-winning work of art!

Visit Abingdon VA Town of Abingdon, Virginia Town of Abingdon, VA Mayor

10/22/2026

🎨🏆 AND THE WINNERS KEEP COMING!

We've celebrated our young artists, applauded our Honorable Mentions, and cheered on our Quick Draw winner…but we're not finished yet!

The 10th Annual Plein Air Abingdon brought together an extraordinary collection of talent from across the nation, and the competition was nothing short of spectacular!

Today, we're turning up the applause for our TOP THREE AWARD WINNERS! 👏

🥇FIRST PLACE: Marie Hasty, NC 👉🏻https://mariehasty.com
🥈SECOND PLACE: Olga Bankston, TN 👉🏻https://www.olgabankstonart.com
🥉THIRD PLACE: Nanci Charpentier, LA 👉🏻https://www.nancicharpentier.com

From breathtaking landscapes to charming streetscapes, these artists captured the beauty and spirit of Appalachia with remarkable skill and creativity. A huge round of applause for these outstanding artists! 🎉

But wait…we're saving TWO of the biggest announcements for last! 👀
🏆 BEST IN SHOW
🏆 THE KENNETH HAWKINS AWARD

Two prestigious honors. Two incredible artists. And one grand finale to our 10th anniversary awards celebration! Stay tuned…the BEST is yet to come!🎨✨

Visit Abingdon VA Town of Abingdon, Virginia Town of Abingdon, Virginia

10/17/2026

🎨 WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE QUIET…BUT FOR GOOD REASON!

What a whirlwind of color, creativity, and incredible talent! Our 10th Annual Plein Air Abingdon has come and gone, and we're still catching our breath! We've been so busy making memories that we haven't had a chance to share them! And trust us…there's LOTS to share!

So, where do we begin? With our youngest artists, of course! 🎨✨

These talented young painters took their creativity outdoors, embraced the challenge of painting en plein air, and showed us that artistic talent knows no age!

🏆 Please join us in celebrating our Youth Plein Air Award Winners!🏆

🥇First Place: Judah
🥈Second Place: Jayden
🥉Third Place: Lucas

And stay tuned…we have plenty more highlights, award winners, and wonderful moments from our 10th anniversary celebration coming your way!

09/27/2026

Abingdon is hosting over 80 artists from about 20 different states in just over a week. Plein Air Abingdon is coming, October 7-10.
Artists will have their stunning artwork on display in our two public sales galleries. Local and regional neighbors, this is your chance to see this amazing art in person.
Thursday, Oct. 8th,
5:30-7:30pm
at the Barns at Chip Ridge.
And our Grand Finale Sales Gallery,
Saturday, October 10th,
6:00-7:30pm
at the SWVA Cultural Center & Marketplace.
For more info, visit www.PleinAirAbingdon.com.
See you there!

09/10/2026

📣 Calling all local art teachers 📢
👩‍🏫👨🏻‍🏫👩🏿‍🏫👨🏾‍🏫
(Help us tag your local art teachers in the comments below!)
😄
Plein Air Abingdon is excited to be piloting a new youth category this year for high school students. Teachers, take your class out to learn about painting outdoors for a day. Teach them about the history of the Plein Air art genre. And then, help them submit their plein air painting for juried youth prizes! All of the details and info you need can be found at www.PleinAirAbingdon.com . (look for the section titled, "10th Anniversary Youth Category).
We can't wait to see what our young artists create!

02/10/2026

Abingdon, a city in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, is home to a great arts scene. The city's Arts Depot features three art galleries and multiple on-site studios hosting resident artists. Abingdon is also home to the William King Museum of Art, which offers free admission, making art accessible to...

02/06/2026

WE'RE UP TO THIRD PLACE!! Woo hoo!
😁
9 more days to vote. Let's shoot for #1!
Best Small Town Art Scene nationally.
You can vote every day from each device at the link shared below.
Thanks for helping put Abingdon on the map and give our local tourism a boost!

Voting for the Best Small Town Arts Scene is open! Cast your vote daily to help pick the 2026 10Best Readers' Choice Award for Best Small Town Arts Scene.

02/05/2026

Hey friends, Help us put Abingdon (Visit Abingdon VA ) on the national map, as the USA's best small town arts scene.
We're currently ranked #4, but voting is open until Feb. 16th.
This helps bring in tourism, which helps our entire local economy, especially as our region is still recovering from Hurricane Helene.
You can vote every day, on each device.
Link below!
Thank you!