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ABOUT

Telluride Plein Air

Sheridan Arts Foundation & Sheridan Opera House

The Telluride Plein Air Festival is an essential fundraiser for the Sheridan Arts Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization created to restore and preserve the Sheridan Opera House while bringing quality arts and entertainment to the town of Telluride. Forty percent of the revenue from each plein air art sale goes to the Sheridan Arts Foundation (SAF), supporting community programming at the Sheridan Opera House.

Plein air artists interested in joining the festival should read about the application process.

The Sheridan Opera House was built by the Telluride miners in 1913 as a Vaudeville Theater and cultural center; since then, performers from Lillian Gish and Sarah Bernhardt to Jimmy Buffet and James Taylor have graced our stage. Today this intimate 238-seat theater has become Telluride’s premiere venue featuring live theater, concerts, movies, lectures; as well as private rentals for special events.

Telluride Plein Air Festival

In 2003, the Sheridan Arts Foundation first collaborated with Keith Wicks, executive director of Sonoma Plein Air, to produce the Telluride Plein Air Festival, and now a week of outdoor art has become an indispensable part of Telluride’s Independence Day festivities.

In addition to observing some of the nation’s top plein air artists at work, Telluride Plein Air Festival allows locals and tourists alike enjoy watching our two-hour quick draw competition, followed by the VIP Artist Choice Preview Party featuring each artists’ favorite piece of the week. The festival culminates in a three-day sale, where the artists display the work they created all week long.

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What is Plein Air?

En plein air is a French expression which means “in the open air”, and is used to describe the act of painting outdoors.

The popularity of painting en plein air increased in the 1870s with the introduction of paint in tubes, which replaced the task of grinding and mixing dry pigment powders with linseed oil. This development increased the ease and portability of art supplies, making treks into the forest and up the hillsides more appealing to those looking to paint new landscapes.

Lead by the Impressionists, painters took their paint tubes and easels outdoors, where they recreated the world through vivid use of color. Although at first rebuffed for what appeared to be unfinished paintings, the Impressionist vision soon became a standard for truthfully conveying the outdoor experience. Suddenly, locations with remarkable light were of particular interest to painters.

Today, there are more than 500 registered plein air artists in the United States working “en plein air” to capture the light and colors particular to a location.

Our Staff (click image to email)

Ronnie Palamar

Ronnie Palamar

Event Director

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Steve Palamar

Steve Palamar

President

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Maggie Stevens

Maggie Stevens

PR & Marketing Director

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Josh Laydon

Josh Laydon

Production Manager

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Leah Nikula

Leah Nikula

Artistic Director

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Sheridan Arts Foundation Youth Programming

The Wild West Fest

Wild West Fest celebrates its 29th year bringing Western arts, culture, and customs to inner-city youth from all across the nation in the summer of 2021! Each summer, the SAF hosts 30-50 students from Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America for a week of cultural and educational activities in Telluride.

Through the non-competitive Chip Allen Mentorship Program, they build self confidence and friendships while participating in hands-on activities and mentorship groups including Visual & Performing Arts, Fly Fishing, Outdoor Adventure and Rock & Roll Academy.

It is in the SAF’s mission to provide this program free of all cost to the attending groups each year. If you would like to support this program by sponsoring a child please contact the Sheridan Arts Foundation event director Ronnie Palamar.

The Young People’s Theater

The SAF’s Young People’s theater offers dramatic workshops and theater classes for children ages 3 to 18. This non-competitive, innovative program enrolls over 200 students annually in classes including improvisational drama, preschool dramatic play, acting techniques, and performance workshops that culminate in productions of full length musical plays.

Some past performances include “Beauty and the Beast,” “Anything Goes,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Grease” and “Peter Pan.” The Sheridan Arts Foundation has awarded over $150,000 in scholarship awards to Telluride’s youth since the program’s inception. Additionally, we subsidize all tuition prices to keep them affordable for all families. The YPT is supported in part by the Telluride Foundation and the Commission for Community Assistance, Arts & Special Events (CCAASE).

Sheridan Arts Foundation

110 N. Oak St
P.O. Box 2680
Telluride, Colorado 81435

Phone: 970-728-6363
Fax: 970-728-6966

Staff emails are here.
www.sheridanoperahouse.com

Telluride Plein Air: June 28 – July 4, 2023

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