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RTPI Plein Air Festival 2025

September 10, 2025 10:00 am   —   September 13, 2025 7:00 pm

The Lodge at RTPI

Click the link to register or call 716-665-2473

Register

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York, is a living embodiment of the Peterson Field Guide. It is a gateway to the natural area wonders that inspired Roger Tory Peterson to his career as one of the world’s premier artist-naturalists and international ambassador for the protection of nature. With a 27-acre nature preserve of wildflower gardens, pollinator meadows, and mature stands of hemlock trees, the Peterson Preserve is a sanctuary for visitors. To celebrate this and other natural areas in Chautauqua County, RTPI is thrilled to announce our fourth annual Plein Air Festival.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute Plein Air Festival is a three-day, open-enrollment plein air event in Chautauqua County, New York. Artists will have the opportunity to discover the beautiful natural scenery of Western New York, which inspired the young Roger Tory Peterson. Artists may create works at various locations within the area, with suggested locations provided two weeks before the festival.

Following three days of creating artworks en plein air, artists are invited to display their completed artworks at the “Wet Paint” show and sale on Saturday, September 13. All artworks submitted to the show will be entered into a judged plein air art competition, with awards announced during the closing reception on Saturday, September 13, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. All works submitted to the show will also be considered for an exhibition of plein air artworks at RTPI, to be held in the Fall of 2025 through Spring of 2026.

Our guest judge for this year is Ron Donoughe. Ron is a full-time professional artist, and has been painting the Western Pennsylvania landscape for nearly 35 years. He has taught outdoor painting workshops throughout the United States and France. Donoughe’s paintings can be found in many corporate and private collections, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, and the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. His collection of 90 Pittsburgh Neighborhoods has been acquired by the Heinz History Center as a permanent exhibition, and can be found next to the Mr. Rogers exhibition on the 4th floor. Donoughe recently completed an Artist-in-Residence at Fallingwater, where he stayed and has offered plein air workshops. His work can be viewed at his website, www.donoughe.com

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN – CLICK THE LINK ABOVE OR CALL 716-665-2473.

  • Registration Fee: $65 – RTPI members receive a 10% discount on registration.
  • Registration is limited to the first 50 artists.
  • Registration is non-refundable and non-transferable.
  • Maximum canvas size 18″x24″, either landscape or portrait orientation.