The Montgomery Art Association (MAA) has announced the return of its annual celebration of local artists.

Per the press release:

The three-day Paint the Town Labor Day Show & Sale—one of the longest-running and largest art shows in the region—will take place at the Kensington Historic Armory, 3710 Mitchell St., Kensington, MD, from September 4-6, 2021. The event is free and open to the public.

The judged art show features hundreds of pieces of artwork by nearly 150 MAA member artists from the DC area. All works are for sale, in addition to small works, prints and notecards in the exhibition floor’s marketplace.

Renowned contemporary realist painter Joey P. Mánlapaz—an instructor at George Washington University—serves as judge. She will evaluate work in six categories. Best in Show is awarded to the first-place winner of the Kensington category, which receives the esteemed Bertha Clum Prize. Gaithersburg artist Paula Zeller’s painting Intensity was the 2019 winner (The 2020 show was cancelled due to the pandemic).

In addition to the main show, MAA will host its annual plein air competition. MAA members, plus adults and children from the community, have up to eight hours to complete a work within the boundaries of Kensington. The competition is free for children and $10 for adults. Local artists will also offer live demonstrations.

“Paint the Town has been an incredible opportunity to bring artists together with the community for more than 40 years,” said President Alan Rich. “We are so grateful to host this year’s event in person after a hiatus last year.”

MAA cares deeply about our community. We will be enforcing Montgomery County mask mandate, cleaning frequently, and taking other measures to keep our volunteers and guests safe.

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Schedule

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4:
Exhibit floor open 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Plein air art competition, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Demo: still life artist Jennifer Kahn Barlow, 2:30 p.m.

Food truck outdoors, 6-8 p.m.
Awards ceremony, 6-8 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5:
Exhibit floor open, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Demo: mixed media artist Ally Morgan, 1 p.m.

Demo: Drawing and mixed media demo and workshop by Marcie Wolf-Hubbard, 2:30 p.m.

 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6:
Exhibit floor open, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Demo: Plein air painting by Tom Semmes, 2:30 p.m.

Customer artwork pickup: 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Show website: https://montgomeryart.org/laborday/