Plein Air Peconic
The 2006 Plein Air Peconic was the first full-scale art exhibition to feature paintings and photographs than include many sites conserved by the Peconic Land Trust. Ten plein air painters and three landscape photographers worked in the field during August and September of 2006 to create Plein Air Peconic, a project which takes one step further the ongoing collaboration between local artists and the Peconic Land Trust. Plein Air Peconic II -- the second major exhibition of all 13 Plein Air Peconic artists, featuring new works of art -- was at the Wallace Gallery in East Hampton during October 2007. Plein Air Peconic III will be during the Fall of 2008 -- check back for dates and location.
A Traveling Exhibition of the Plein Air Peconic artists work also happens throughout the year. The 2008 Season opens on March 26 with an "Open Spaces" Exhibition at Ashawagh Hall in East Hampton. Check Connections and our online Calendar for dates, times, and locations for all Plein Air Peconic exhibitions throughout the year.
Up to 20 sites that were preserved by the Trust were or are being painted and photographed en plein air specifically for the exhibitions. The sites are located on the South and North Forks, Riverhead, Shelter Island and Ram Island.
The History
The idea for this unusual exhibition came from talks in 2005 between local artist Gordon Matheson and Peconic Land Trust Vice President Rebecca Chapman, about developing important connections between the Trust and local artists. The Trust cleared the way for artists to spend considerable time in the preserves, painting, photographing and often just observing nature. Southampton Village was also generous in allowing the artists to park in reserved areas at Dune Beach, a preserve with bayfront, oceanfront, and beautiful dunes located in Southampton Village.
The artists participating in the program include: Casey Chalem Anderson, Susan D’Alessio, Terry Elkins, Aubrey Grainger, Gail Kern, Scott Hewett, Michele Margit, Gordon Matheson, Joanne Rosko, Eileen Dawn Skretch, Tom Steele, Kathryn Szoka, and Ellen Watson. Click here for bios and contact information (PDF) on each of the artists.
The inaugural exhibition in 2006 was Columbus Day Weekend at Ashawagh Hall in the Springs, a hamlet within the Town of East Hampton. After the four-day exhibition in the Springs, Plein Air Peconic became a traveling exhibition for the Trust where it will be displayed in locations in Long Island and New York City to highlight the land conservation efforts of the Trust.
The traveling exhibition of Plein Air Peconic began at the Southampton Library, during the month of March 2007.