Brown County’s Art Colony Weekend returns to downtown Nashville and T.C. Steele Historic Site this Friday through Sunday.
Whether you enjoy making art or watching other people do it, this event offers many opportunities to experience it, and several of them are free.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Demonstrations, art contests planned
Events to celebrate Brown County’s art history and its future will be hosted by the Brown County Art Guild at T.C. Steele Historic Site. The goal is to provide “an art experience around every corner.”
Friday, Sept. 8: See artists demonstrate their craft around the village. Look for Art Colony Weekend signs at restaurants for special menu items.
7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9: The 29th annual Great Outdoor Art Contest takes place at T.C. Steele State Historic Site. Painters can enter in advance or that morning. Judging will be by Bob and Ellie Haan, Maggie Rapp and Dale Popovich. Judges will offer painting demonstrations designed for beginning artists and those starting to paint en plein air. First place and People’s Choice winning artwork will be displayed at the guild.
4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9: An outdoor afternoon concert by the Amanda Webb Band, a beer garden by Salt Creek Brewery, and lunch offered by Hotel Nashville will follow the art contest at the historic site.
6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9: Attend an artist reception and Wet Paint Sale at the guild, 68 E. Van Buren St., where visitors can view and purchase new work from guild artist members. Webb will play music; Big Woods Brewery will provide beer.
7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10: At the Villagescape Plein Air Paint Out, artists will paint in and around the village, competing for a top prize of $1,000. Works will be sold at the guild. Register to paint at bcartguildshop.com/classes–workshops, or between 7 and 8:30 a.m. at the guild. The $20 fee per person includes refreshments from Muddy Boots Café and a drink coupon to use at the Brown County Playhouse.
1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10: Participate in the first “community paint-along” at the northeast corner of the Village Green. Sponsored by Art Alliance Brown County, the event is free and open to all ages. Large panels and materials will be available for participants to paint a section with their own design. Volunteer artists, including M.K. Watkins, will be on hand to assist.
2:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10: Villagescape contest entries will be judged by Luke Buck of Nineveh, and a closing reception and awards ceremony will take place at the art guild.
Neighbors provide music, art for Art Walk
The Second Saturday Village Art Walk, from 4 to 8 p.m., will take place Saturday, Sept. 9 in downtown Nashville at participating galleries.
Two neighboring galleries, Hoosier Artist and Anabel Hopkins Fine Art, will have artists working outside between the galleries, on Old Hickory Lane just north of Antique Alley. Local singer-guitarist Todd Mack will perform in the courtyard near the galleries from 5 to 7 p.m.
Other participating galleries will be marked with signs.
‘Painterly Companions’ exhibit up at art guild
The Brown County Art Guild, 48 S. Van Buren St., is celebrating “the camaraderie and relationships built between artists and their subjects through the creation of art” in the exhibit “Painterly Companions” during September.
Viewing the exhibit is free. The guild is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information, visit browncountyartguild.org or call the guild at 812-988-6185.
Contest at T.C. Steele historic site open to all
BELMONT — The 29th annual Great Outdoor Art Contest will run from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 at T.C. Steele State Historic Site, 4220 T.C. Steele Road.
The event is for adults, teens and children of all skill levels, who are allowed to paint whatever subject they wish that day. Prizes for all first-place winners and People’s Choice awards include gift certificates for art supplies. Prizes for youth include “Peter Pan” tickets from the Cardinal Stage Company in Bloomington.
Artists must register. Adult categories include oil, acrylic, watercolor and mixed media/drawing/other. Child (12 and younger) and teen categories 13 to 18) can be of any medium.
First-place and People’s Choice winners’ work will be displayed at the Brown County Art Guild downtown from Sept. 9 to 30.
All entries must be created the day of the contest at the historic site or elsewhere in Brown County. Artists must have their blank canvases or pages stamped at the site prior to beginning their work. Judging will begin at 2 p.m.
New this year will be a visit from the “Traveling Quarter,” promoting the new Indiana quarter featuring George Rogers Clark; a photo opportunity for visitors who want to pose with tri-corner hats and fake muskets; and the opportunity to play a game of “human foosball.”
A $3 parking fee will be charged for non-artist participants.
To download registration forms, visit tcsteele.org. To register by phone, call 812-988-2785.
