Gosnold, MA -- The Marion Art Center is pleased to present the ninth annual Cuttyhunk Plein Air Festival on Saturday, June 22 on the Elizabethan island of Cuttyhunk (town of Gosnold, MA). A rain date is scheduled on Sunday, June 23. Registrations filled quickly for this event, but guests are invited to visit the island to see painters in action and attend the “_ARTY!” celebration at the end of the day. Visitors can mingle with artists and purchase original (sometimes still wet!) paintings directly from the artists at the Scuttlebutt Grille Gallery.

On the morning of June 22, sixty artists will travel from State Pier 3 in New Bedford aboard the M/V Cuttyhunk Ferry to the island, where they’ll spend 3-4 hours painting from a location of their choosing. Island ambassadors – residents and volunteers – donate their time using golf carts to shuttle artists to and from their painting spots. Artists will wrap up around 2:30pm in order to submit their paintings for jurying. Pamela Hoss, Jay Ryan, and Bob Smith will return this year to award 1st, 2nd, 3rd place, and purchase prize awards. The “_ARTY!” will take place from 3:00-3:45pm, with visitors and artists wrapping up to board the ferry by 4pm to arrive back in New Bedford at 5:00pm. The “_ARTY!” is free and open to all.

Sponsors and supporters of the event and awards include: island residents Jim and Molly Conway, island businesses Scuttlebutt Grille, Pete’s Place Rentals and Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farms, Riverside Art in Somerset, and Barry’s Fine Wine & Spirits in New Bedford. The festival is generously supported by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Gosnold Cultural Council, the originator of the event. In keeping with the missions of both the Marion Art Center and the GCC, and to further their commitments to create a more diverse and equitable SouthCoast, the festival will again welcome ten sponsored artists, nominated by leaders of regional arts organizations. In 2023, several sponsored artists won prizes or sold their paintings to guests.

To learn more about the event or to download a walking map of the island, visit www.marionartcenter.org/cuttyhunk-plein-air. Those who wish to travel as spectators for the day can purchase ferry tickets at cuttyhunkferryco.com. If use of the rain date on Sunday is needed, the festival webpage on the MAC website will be updated by Friday night before the event.