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Plein Air gives $100K for school art programs

The Sonoma Plein Air Foundation, which has produced a nationally-known, outdoor art event for the past 10 years, is donating $100,000 to be distributed among all the public schools of Sonoma Valley.

On Nov. 15, checks will be given to five elementary schools, two junior high schools, two charter schools and Sonoma Valley High School to help support school art programs.

Valley schools count on Plein Air funds to plan and implement art programs for which state funding has been severely cut. The Plein Air Foundation also funds art programs at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, the Sonoma Valley Community Center and the Arts Guild.

The funds are raised through a weeklong event celebrating the century-old technique of outdoor painting. Three events; the Quick Draw, Gala Dinner and Art Show and Sale were held in October. Quick Draw takes place

in the Plaza during the Tuesday night farmers market, the first opportunity for the public to meet the artists, watch them paint and purchase their paintings. This year’s Gala Dinner was held at the Lasseter Train Barn in Glen Ellen, and each artist brought his or her best work of the week to be sold at a silent auction.

The annual gathering of artists, who come from all over the country, culminates at Sonoma’s historic Plaza for the Art Exhibition and Sale. Art lovers and collectors from across the United States mingle with the artists, and art created during the week is exhibited and offered for sale.

The Sonoma Plein Air event has now raised more than $650,000 for Valley art causes. The Sonoma Plein Air festival will return in October 2013.