August 6, 2009, 9:21 pm
This month, head to Grand Canyon National Park’s Kolb
Studio to view the 2009 “Paint the Parks 100.” The exhibition, sponsored by
Grand Canyon Association and Grand Canyon National Park, showcases the
paintings of the contest’s top 100 winners and will be on display through September
15.
Paint the Parks 100 is America’s leading competition
designed to illustrate the beauty and significance of America’s national parks.
Paintings depict the diverse treasures—both natural and cultural—that are
preserved and protected by the National Park Service nationwide. With the
premiere of Ken Burn’s newest film, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”
(link to PBS article) approaching in September, the beauty of our national
parks are more apparent than ever.
Proceeds from this international artists’ juried
competition help to fund PaintAmerica’s mission of supporting the visual arts
and artists across the country. A portion of proceeds from the competition is
also contributed annually to the National Parks Foundation and the PaintAmerica
Scholarship Fund.
Paintings
entered into the competition must depict one of our nation's 391 areas
supervised by the National Park Service. Paintings are individually scored by a
jury panel of nationally recognized artists or arts professionals, with winners
in each of the three National Park Regions. The competition’s overall winner
claims a $10,000 Grand Prize Purchase Award, and the top 100 paintings—“Paint
the Parks 100”-- tour the nation for a year. With this honor comes national
exposure, through an online and touring exhibition, professional national
publicity and attention. To view the 2008 online gallery, click here.
The 2009 “Paint the Parks” Call to Entries was in May,
2009, but check back to their website often for updates about 2010 entries. For
a complete list of all eligible national parks, monuments and other NPS areas,
you can go to OhRanger.com.
After its stay at the Grand Canyon, the exhibit will
move on to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in Missouri. Please see
below for a complete 2009 schedule.
2009
Paint the Parks Exhibit Schedule:
August 1, 2009 to September 15, 2009 Kolb Studio, Grand
Canyon, AZ
October 1, 2009 to December 1, 2009 Jefferson National
Expansion Memorial, St. Louis, MO
January 15, 2010 to March 1, 2010 South Florida State
Fair, West Palm Beach, FL
March 15, 2010 to May 1, 2010 Indiana Dunes National
Park, Indiana Welcome Center, Hammond, IN
June 1, 2010 to July 15, 2010 Call for Availability
