(Goldendale, Wash., April 27, 2017) — This summer Maryhill Museum of Art will host the 13th annual Pacific Northwest Plein Air event in the Columbia River Gorge. The event begins July 31 with a four-day plein air paint out, followed by an opening reception Friday, August 4, and an ongoing exhibit through August 27.
Drawing on a long tradition of painting in the open air, this juried event brings together 40 artists to paint the vast, wild beauty of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, from stunning views of Mt. Hood and the Columbia River to the surrounding vineyards and snowy peaks of the Cascades. Participants include emerging and established artists from the Pacific Northwest and from around the country.
Between July 31 and Aug 3, artists will fan out to paint anywhere in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area; they will also be invited to paint on Maryhill’s grounds, giving museum visitors a unique view of plein air artists at work.
“Thirteen years ago, there were no plein-air events here—none,” says event founder and painter Cathleen Rehfeld Meyers, who lives in the Columbia River Gorge. “That was my idea for starting this event. The area was completely untapped. It’s an amazingly beautiful place, with an incredibly diverse landscape to paint.”
An opening and artist reception will take place Friday, August 4, 2017 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Maryhill Museum of Art, when the public is invited to view and purchase “fresh” paintings and meet the artists. The paintings will remain on view and for sale in the Maryhill’s M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center Maryhill through Sunday, August 27, 2017.
The juror for the 2017 event is painter Michael Hernandez, a California-based plein air artist and sought-after workshop instructor, who will award prizes in 14 categories.
A full list of participating artists is available at www.maryhillmuseum.org/
July 31 – August 3 | all day
Pacific Northwest Plein Air Paint Out
Artists spend four days painting at various locations throughout the Columbia River Gorge, including on the grounds of Maryhill Museum of Art.
Opening Reception
Friday, August 4 | 5 to 8 p.m.
The public is invited to view the paintings artists created in plein air, meet the artists and enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres. Artwork will be available for purchase. Awards will be given in a number of categories, including “Best Sky,” “Best Mountain,” “Best Water,” “Historic Columbia River Highway Award,” “Maryhill Museum of Art Award” and a museum purchase award.
ABOUT MARYHILL:
Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art opened to the public May 13, 1940 and today remains one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations. The museum was founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, who purchased the property and began building the house with dreams of establishing a Quaker farming community. When that goal proved untenable, Hill was encouraged by friends Loie Fuller, Queen Marie of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Spreckles to establish a museum.
Maryhill Museum of Art boasts a world-class permanent collection, rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that provide opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages. On view are more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d’art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Hill; today the museum’s American Indian collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.
Maryhill’s William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park features more than a dozen large-scale works by Northwest artists. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County War Memorial honors those who have died in the service of their country since World War I.
The museum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited by the American Association of Museums. In 2012 the museum opened the Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing, a 25,500 square foot expansion that is the first in the museum’s history. The new wing boasts the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center, a collections storage and research suite, a new cafe and terrace, and the Cannon Power Plaza with an installation of sculpture, and sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood in the distance.
VISITOR INFORMATION:
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $3 for youth age 7-18 and free for children 6 and under. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.
Sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly baked desserts and pastries, as well as a selection of local wines are available at the museum’s cafe, Loie’s, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily; the Museum Store features art and history books, jewelry, Native American crafts and other mementos.
Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. For further information, visit maryhillmuseum.org.