Local artists gather for annual Plein Air Festival in Southport

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — On Friday and Saturday, the 2-day long annual Southport Plein Air Festival was held, hosted by ‘Up Your Arts’ and the City of Southport, where local artists from the area came together for the event.

There were food trucks, live music, artist did live paintings, and a wet paint sale was held for those paintings.

This event was kid friendly, with one day dedicated for children, allowing them to paint their own masterpieces, and  hear stories from the costumed storyteller, Anita Singleton-Prather, “The First Lady of Gullah”, learning about the Gullah Geechee people’s contributions to the Cape Fear Region.

“Plein Air is our longest running event. This will be the fourth one we’ve planned, and the second one we’ve held, because the first year was knocked out by Hurricane Florence, and then last year we couldn’t have it because of COVID. So, this is a big celebration, we’re finally able to have it again,” said Vonnie Bray, Southport Plein Air Festival committee.

This was a non-juried event, with people’s choice awards advised by established local artists, and winners will be registered in the 2022 Southport Plein Air Festival for free.