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Plein Air Plus 2025: The tenth Annual Juried Exhibition
Exhibition Dates Saturday, September 13 - Sunday, November 2, 2025
Application Deadline May 17, 2025
Paint Out Dates July 1 - August 31 (Accepted artists check in at LBIF)
Fees $35.00 for up to 6 entries (non-refundable)
Awards $500 first prize Plein Air, $500 first prize Plein Air Plus, $250 second prize, $100 third prize and three honorable mentions.
Apply Online, click here
Questions? please contact LBIF at 609-494-1241 or
email exhibitions@lbifoundation.org
PLEIN AIR PLUS 2025 - The Tenth Annual National Juried Competition at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts, NJ.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION ON LBI
Long Beach Island has a vibrant artist community and is a vacation destination which draws its audience of collectors, supporters of the arts and artists from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC and beyond. The LBIF, founded in 1948, is celebrating its 77th year in 2025.
The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce the ninth "Plein Air Plus" Competition and Exhibition on Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
The juror will pick approximately 50 artists to participate in the Paint Out on Long Beach Island during July and August. The accepted artists will exhibit the paintings created in the LBI Paint Out in the Plein Air Plus Exhibition scheduled for September 13 through November 2, 2025
We welcome artists to apply to this unique Plein Air Event! Our Paint Out is over a two-month period, allowing artists to visit and paint the scenic, seashore environment of Long Beach Island, New Jersey on their own schedule, any time between July 1st through August 31st. Artists can choose the time of day, weather, and varied locations to paint.
Finished paintings will be shown in the Plein Air Plus Exhibition in September.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
The Plein Air Plus Exhibition will show two types of Plein Air painting. The selected artists will have two choices for submission for the Juror to select for the exhibition:
Classical Plein Air painters are requested to exhibit up to four Plein Air paintings to be shown together.
Plein Air Plus artists can submit Plein Air Plus paintings and the studies (photographs, sketches, drawings) for Plein Air Plus for a total of four paintings or studies.
Plein Air and Plein Air Plus are described below. As long as the artwork is clearly labelled as "Classical" or "Plus", the artists can submit work in either combination. The amount of allotted space per artist remains three feet by four feet and a total of 4 pieces, so artists should plan accordingly.
JUROR
Laurel Garber, Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Laurel Garber is the Park Family Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In addition to helping to steward the PMA’s collection of modern and contemporary works on paper, she has organized several exhibitions there, including Wanda Gág: Art for Life’s Sake (2025), Mary Cassatt at Work (2024), and Emma Amos: Color Odyssey (2021). Prior to the PMA, Laurel held curatorial positions and fellowships at the Art Institute of Chicago, J. Paul Getty Museum, and Clark Art Institute. She holds a Ph.D. in Art History from Northwestern University, an M.A. from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, and a B.A. from Cornell University.
Apply Online, click here
Questions? please contact LBIF at 609-494-1241 or
email exhibitions@lbifoundation.org
Please read carefully
SPECIFICATIONS
This exhibition will feature the selected artist's Plein Air works and/or studio paintings developed from their Plein Air studies. All artwork exhibited must be for sale.
Prizes will be awarded by the Juror at the reception. Artists are not required to attend the reception.
Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences reserves the right to exclude from the exhibition any works that do not arrive in sturdy condition or are deemed too fragile to be successfully exhibited. Work that has not been suitably prepared will be hung at LBIF's discretion.
Please submit only work that will be available at the time of the exhibition and will remain for its entirety. Please do not submit work that has a retail value over $7,500.
No accepted entry may be withdrawn prior to the close of the exhibition. No pricing changes will be allowed after acceptance. Work that is copied or done under the guidance of an instructor is not eligible. Entries must not have been previously exhibited at LBIF.
ELIGIBILITY
Open to all artists 18 years and older in the continental US. May 17, 2025 Deadline for submission (online via CAFE) for entry applications:
JURYING
Approximately 50 artists will be selected to participate in the 2024 Paint Out and Quick Draw event. Artists must submit 4 images of their previous work painted in the past two years for consideration. Painting media can include oil, acrylic, watercolor, and pastel. Please indicate on each image submitted a description - was it created as "Classical" or "Plus", medium, date, size.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Please upload a 1–2-page Resume with Bio, and Artist Statement of up to 250 words.
NOTIFICATION
Accepted artists will be notified by email and posted on the LBIF website by June 10. Artist agreement forms will be emailed to those who have been accepted and will include an island map of potential locations and housing information. If you do not receive your notification by the notification date, please contact LBIF at: exhibitions@lbifoundation.org
Apply Online, click here
Questions? please contact LBIF at 609-494-1241 or
email exhibitions@lbifoundation.org
PLEIN AIR / PLEIN AIR PLUS SIZE REQUIREMENTS
Artists can work in both Plein Air and Plein Air Plus.
Artists cannot exceed 4 framed pieces (for example a triptych = 3 pieces unless the triptych is contained in one frame).
Artists are entitled to 12 square feet of wall space, which allows for many different size options.
"Plein Air" (classical) is defined as the painting being completed on site, without the use out photography. Plein Air artists are asked to submit a maximum of four paintings on any size canvas that will fit into the allotted exhibit space.
“Plein Air Plus” is defined as inspired by a specific location on Long Beach Island observed during the Paint Out during July through August, with studies painted out of doors and completed in the artists’ personal studio. We request that no paintings be created entirely from photographs, but photos and Plein Air sketches can be used to produce a Plein Air Plus painting. Large size paintings are encouraged.
Questions? please contact LBIF at 609-494-1241 or
email exhibitions@lbifoundation.org
EXHIBITION DATES:
The Plein Air Plus Exhibition will be held from September 13 – November 2, with a Reception and Awards Presentation tentatively scheduled in September. Artists are not required to attend.
All work for the exhibition must be made during the period of July 1-August 31, 2025. Subject themes include: Beaches, Salt Marshes, Barnegat Bay, Island Towns, Water Sports, Surfing, Fishing, Boating and Family entertainment venues on LBI. Check www.lbifoundation.org website for map.
Only paintings begun and completed during the July 1st, 2025 through September 6th are eligible for submission. Canvas stamping is not required. All artwork submitted for the exhibition must be ready to hang and firmly wired. Frames for artwork (if required) should be white, black or a natural wood. Previous work that has been shown at the LBIF is not eligible for the exhibition.
A web ready photograph (jpg) of completed work to be used for sale on LBIF's website must be submitted with the artworks with the following information:
Title of piece / Medium / Size / Retail Price / Plein Air OR Plein Air Plus
SALES
Submitted work must be available for the duration of the exhibition. The LBIF retains 40% of the retail price of the work exhibited. Artists receive payment for sold work 45 days after the close of the exhibition.
DELIVERY of accepted artwork and RETURN of UNSOLD WORK
Shipping or drop off of artwork to LBIF is the responsibility of the artist. Submissions of shipped packages must be sent with a pre-paid return shipping label or shippers’ UPS or FEDEX account number to charge to artists’ account.
Artist can pick up unsold work after the exhibition closes. If unsold artwork is to be shipped back to artists, artist must provide a pre-paid UPS or FEDEX label when artwork is delivered in September.
Unclaimed artwork becomes the property of the LBIF if left for more than 30 days after close of exhibition. LBIF is not responsible for unclaimed artwork for loss or damage. We will invite artists whose work has not sold to be included in our Holiday Market Fest, currently scheduled for November 15 until December 14, if they so wish.
CALENDAR
May 17, 2025 Deadline for submission (online via CAFE) for entry applications
June 10 Notification of acceptance emailed to the artists
July 1 - August 31 Artists Paint Out on Long Beach Island (Check in at LBIF)
Artwork due at LBIF August 29 -September 2 - Artist delivery of paintings must be ready to hang
Sept 13 – Nov 2 Plein Air Plus Exhibition
Reception September 2025 Date TBD
Nov 3 - 7 Artist pick-up of unsold work
Nov 15 – Dec 14 Holiday Market Fest
Apply Online, click here
Questions? please contact LBIF at 609-494-1241 or
email exhibitions@lbifoundation.org
ABOUT THE LBIF
The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts + Sciences (LBIF) was established in 1948 as a non-profit institution by artist Boris Blai to provide arts and educational opportunities to the surrounding communities. Blai, a sculptor and founding Dean of Tyler School of Art, Temple University, had a vision that through exceptional art exhibitions, classes, and cultural activities the LBIF could provide visitors an opportunity to experience and share quality arts and cultural programming. For more than seventy-six years the LBIF has delivered this mission through its Exhibition programs, Art Classes, Visiting Artists programs, Artist Residency and Retreat Program.
LEGAL AGREEMENT
Submission to PLEIN AIR PLUS 2025 constitutes an agreement with all conditions of this show. The artist allows the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences the right to photograph accepted work for publicity purposes, use artist's name and bio, and images of artist and their work for publicity purposes in print, on the web and digitally. Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences reserves the right to reject any work not resembling the submitted entry or work that is not ready to be shown according to the aforementioned specifications.