CAPE ANN PLEIN AIR OPENS 2025 SEASON WITH OPEN CALL TO ARTISTS 

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2025 marks the ninth year for CAPE ANN PLEIN AIR (CAPA), based in Cape Ann Massachusetts.

GLOUCESTER, MA, (Jan. 3, 2025) — Cape Ann Plein Air, one of the country’s largest “plein air” art competitions, has opened its annual call for artists, formally kicking off the 2025 event and its ninth season. Applications are open now and due on April 2, 2025.

Scheduled for October 4-12, 2025, the juried competition is open to all artists, both professional and amateur, to apply to participate in the weeklong community event. This event is among the top plein air events in the country, awarding over $20,000 in prizes. It also provides a welcome boost to the local economy, drawing thousands of visitors to Cape Ann.

CAPA’s competitive online jury process will select 34 professional plein air artists who will create original paintings on Cape Ann throughout the week, capturing life and landscapes around Rockport, Gloucester, Essex, Manchester and Ipswich. As the juried artists paint, Cape Ann Plein Air offers daily artist demonstrations, nightly live painting events at local restaurants, and a climactic end-of-week art sale and gala to bring the community into the experience of “live” art.

Plein air painting is the practice of painting outdoors, from start to finish. The artists incorporate natural light, color and movement into their work to capture the spirit of their subject. Now in its ninth year, CAPA has become a nationally acclaimed event by focusing on Cape Ann’s unique place as the birthplace of American plein air painting.

The organization’s co-presidents Beth Buckingham and Pat Alto emphasize that Cape Ann Plein Air artists will create more than 300 original pieces of art during this weeklongevent,all celebratingtheuniquevistasofallfiveCapeAnncommunities.All of these freshly painted artworks are on sale to the public in the weekending art sale and gala .

In addition to the annual weeklong event in October, Cape Ann Plein Air also holds community paint out events throughout the year, collaborating with local nonprofits and schools to engage artists from all generations and walks of life, with the goal of building an appreciation for plein air, and engagement in Cape Ann’s art community.

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About Cape Ann Plein Air

Cape Ann Plein is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2015 with the mission to promote the appreciation, participation and growth of plein air painting. Cape Ann Plein is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2015 with the mission to promote the appreciation, participation and growth of plein air painting. Information at www.capeannpleinair.org; Instagram - capeannpleinair; Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/capeannpleinair/