The Gloucester Arts Festival begins next weekend, offering a full week of daily activities during the first week of June. It continues throughout the month with arts and art-related activities for the Middle Peninsula and beyond.
The festival will kick off with Brews, Brine & Wine from 5–8:30 p.m. on Friday, May 31, at Timberneck Farm at Machicomoco State Park, 3601 Timberneck Farm Road, Hayes.
Guests will enjoy Gloucester oysters in a casual setting as plein air artists interpret their surroundings on canvas, creating small works that will be available for sale at the event. Those attending are encouraged to take their own lawn chairs.
Brews, Brine & Wine will offer music by the RaJazz band, with its mix of smooth jazz and R&B, along with oysters from the Cappahosic Oyster Company, beverages from Saude Creek Winery and Gloucester Brewery, and several food and drink trucks on-site.
“We are expecting the biggest crowd ever at the festival’s opening event this year,” said a press release, “so be sure to grab your spots quickly.”
Advance tickets are $25 and include admission, the $5 parking fee, six oysters, and one beer or wine ticket. They are available online at gloucesterartsfestival.com/brews-brine-wine-2024. Tickets will be $30 at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free of charge. The event is co-hosted by the Fairfield Foundation.
Paint Main
Paint Main, a fast-paced painting competition held at various sites along Gloucester’s Main Street, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 1. Judging will be at 12:30 p.m. on the Tabb House lawn. The public is invited to attend as spectators.
Thirty plein air artists who were invited to participate in the festival will compete for a range of prizes, then offer their art for sale, fresh off the easel, after the judging. Community artists are invited to join them, compete for separate prizes, and sell their art, as well. Paintings will be available for viewing and purchase until 2 p.m.
Community artists who would like to participate may sign up at gloucesterartsfestival.com/sign-up-page-2024. The cost is $10.
Symphony Under the Stars
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s annual Symphony Under the Stars free family concert will be held beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 1 on the lawn at Main Street and Walter Reed Way in Gloucester.
The local group Liberty Dolls will open the concert, performing at 6 p.m. A food truck will be on-site from 6–9 p.m., but those attending are also encouraged to pick up a to-go meal at one of Gloucester’s Main Street restaurants and enjoy a picnic on the lawn.
Lawn chairs are suggested rather than blankets because there could be wet areas, and food tables are allowed but should be taken down when the concert begins.
Main Street will be closed between Belroi Road and Newington Baptist Church between 6:30 and 10 p.m. for the concert, with free parking along Main Street, in the back lots of Newington Baptist Church, and in Gloucester County government parking lots. Special needs parking will be available only for those with a disabled parking placard at Newington Baptist Church and The Church of St. Therese on Main Street.
In the event of rain, the concert will be held at The LightHouse on George Washington Memorial Highway, Hayes.
Mathews Paint Out
The Mathews Paint Out, during which the 2024 Plein Air artists will paint at various locations in Mathews County, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4. There will be an awards reception at 5 p.m. at the Bay School on Main Street in Mathews, with paintings done that day available for purchase. The event is free and open to the public.
Gallery talk
Robert Johnson, winner of national awards for his work and judge for the Plein Air Invitational, will give a gallery talk at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5, at the Fine Arts Museum of Gloucester, 6894 Main Street. He will share the story of how Johnson, a lawyer in Virginia, chased his artistic muse to become a full-time Master Painter. He will have some of his art present and will discuss the process of its creation with the audience.
Johnson will lead a workshop on color and composition from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, at the Gloucester Institute, 6498 Allmondsville Road, Gloucester.
The cost of the workshop is $225. For more information and to sign up, visit gloucesterartsfestival.com/color-composition-workshop.
Cocktails in the Garden
Cocktails in the Garden will be held from 5–7 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, in the gardens of Goshen Farm on the Ware River. Those attending will be able to scope the grounds, watch the artists at work, and chat with local art lovers while indulging in food and drink. Music will be by Strings and Things, and there will be a full-service luxury Sipping Southern Bar. Tickets are $75 and include two drink tickets for a specialty cocktail, wine and fine hors d’oeuvres from Brian Marshall Catering. They are available at gloucesterartsfestival.com/cocktails-in-the-garden-2024.
Local color
Arts on Main will host an exhibit titled Local: Scenes and Artists, featuring artwork that highlights the beauty and talent of the Middle Peninsula during First Friday, to be held from 6–8 p.m. on Friday, June 7, at the gallery on Main Street.
The show will include works by 11 artists in fiber, glass, monotype, paint, pottery, and more, along with a selection of paintings from community artists who participate in Paint Main. It is free and open to the public.
Light refreshments will be served, and beer and wine will be available for purchase. Live music will be by the Harris Creekers.
Plein Air Week
The Plein Air Invitational will be held from May 31 to June 7, with the 30 invited artists painting local scenery—rivers, farmland, marine views, and gardens—to compete for over $20,000 in prize money as part of the 2024 Heart of the River Collection.
The invitational culminates on June 8 with the Plein Air Gala from 6–9 p.m. at the Fine Arts Museum of Gloucester, where the paintings will be judged and over $24,000 in prizes will be awarded.
The paintings, which will be in oil, acrylic, watercolor and pastel, will be priced beginning at $500. A reception exclusively for sponsors and patrons will begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $125 and include admission, parking, wine, beer, and heavy hors d’oeuvres by Chef Brian Marshall.
Tickets are available at gloucesterartsfestival.com/tickets-sponsorship/p/country-feast-set-recp2-x5t52. Johnson will serve as the judge for the Plein Air Invitational. The collection will be on display June 12–30 at the Fine Arts Museum of Gloucester in Gloucester Main Street Center.
Other activities
The festival will continue with Otis Murphy on saxophone and Haruko Murphy on piano performing in the Arts at Abingdon concert series on June 13 at Abingdon Episcopal Church, a Friends of Lens photography exhibit on June 14 and 15 at The Edgehill House on Gloucester Main Street, and concerts by the Isaac Hadden Organ Trio on June 15 and Bobby Black Hat on June 22 at Flat Iron Crossroads at Flat Iron.
Village Arts Day, a free all-day event, will be held on Saturday, June 29, followed that evening by a reception and final look at the Heart of the River Collection on display at the Fine Arts Museum of Gloucester.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available for this year’s Gloucester Arts Festival. For more information, visit gloucesterartsfestival.com/tickets-sponsorship/sponsorships.