Find Your Park Plein Air

The National Park Service and the St. Johns Cultural Council are proud to present a special event to mark the National Park Service's 100th Anniversary in St. Augustine. "Find Your Park Plein Air" is designed to bring attention to the beauty of historic St. Johns County and to highlight the cultural richness of the area. The first component of the event will take place during National Park Service Week from April 16 to 24, 2016.

The two-part event includes a nine-day period where artists will work plein air, which means "in the open air" in French, on the sites of the two national monuments in St. Augustine: the Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas. The second component of the program will be an exhibit of the art that is produced here, which will be held at the Lightner Museum in historic St. Augustine.

During National Park Week from April 16 to 24, 2016, artists can set up their easels and paint at the Castillo de San Marcos and on the beach side of Fort Matanzas from sunrise to sunset. The visitor center, trails and grounds of Fort Matanzas are also open for painting, but only from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day.

Artists can then submit up to two pieces of the artwork created during the Find Your Park Plein Air event to be juried for the show that will be featured in the America's Parks National Exhibition. This artwork will be juried on Sunday, April 24, 2016, at 3 p.m.

The Find Your Park Plein Air Exhibit will be on display at the Lightner Museum in historic St. Augustine from June 9 to August 31, 2016.

Admission: The event is free, of course, for spectators. There is a $30 registration fee for artists who wish to participate in the juried show. Artists who want to participate without submitting their work for the juried show may do so at no charge, though they do need to register. The deadline for registration is April 14, 2016. Visit here to register.

The Castillo de San Marcos offers FREE admission during National Park Week (April 16 - 24, 2016). Fort Matanzas is always free to visit.

When: Plein air painting can be done over the nine-day period of National Park Week, from April 16 to 24, 2016. The Castillo and the beach side of Fort Matanzas are open for painting from sunrise to sunset. Painting can also be done on the grounds of Fort Matanzas, but only when the park is open, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day.

Where: The Castillo de San Marcosi is located at 1 S. Castillo Drive in downtown St. Augustine 32084. Fort Matanzas is located 15 miles south of historic St. Augustine, at 8635 A1A South, St. Augustine 32080. The Lightner Museum is right across the street from Flagler College, at 75 King St., in St. Augustine 32084.

For more information about this innovative program and to register to participate, please visit here.

This program is made possible through funding from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida and St. Johns County Tourist Development Council.