Tickets are now available for two special Meet the Artists events that are coming up next month as part of the 2021 Gloucester Arts Festival.
The monthlong celebration that kicks off on June 3 with a sculpture unveiling in Gloucester Court House includes multiple free offerings, but tickets are needed for Cocktails in the Garden on Tuesday, June 8 and Meet the Artists at Brews & Brine on Wednesday, June 9.
Both events will feature plein air artists—painters who specialize in creating their work outdoors—capturing Gloucester’s scenic bounty of waterways, farmland, marine views and nature.
“We encourage anyone who loves art and Gloucester to go online and get their tickets today,” said Jenny Crittenden, Executive Director of the Cook Foundation, a key presenter of the festival. “We know how excited the community is to welcome back our annual festival, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to cancel the 2020 event.”
During the Brews & Brine at White Marsh Farm, visitors will be treated to plein air artists from across the Mid-Atlantic region painting the Heart of the River Collection, a series dedicated to the area’s rivers and the communities near them.
Tickets are $15 each for the event from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The entrance fee includes six oysters from Cappahosic Oyster Company and one beer from Gloucester Brewing Company; additional refreshments will be available from a food truck on site. Purchase tickets at gloucesterartsfestival.com/brews-brine.
Cocktails in the Garden will offer the opportunity to watch plein air artists work their magic from 5 to 7 p.m. at Brent & Becky’s Bulbs. Visitors are invited to with them as they paint, and enjoy refreshments and traditional cocktails from Kelsick Specialty Market. Tickets, at $50 each, can be purchased at gloucesterartsfestival.com/cocktails-in-the-garden. Space is limited for both events.
Additional ticketed events that are part of the festival include the Plein Air Gala on June 11 and the Larry Moore Workshop from June 14-18.
The entire Gloucester Arts Festival is outdoors and will be in held in compliance with current COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Presented by the Cook Foundation, the Gloucester Arts Festival started as a weeklong event in 2017 and has since grown into a monthlong celebration each June.
Bringing together artists of varying mediums, the Gloucester Arts Festival aims to help connect the community to the arts and artists to the natural beauty of Gloucester in rural coastal Virginia. Voted Best of Virginia by Virginia Living magazine, the Gloucester Arts Festival features a Plein Air Painting Event and Show, a free community concert by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, a gala to celebrate the Heart of the River collection curated each year, as well as other special events.
Learn more about the festival and view a complete schedule of events at gloucesterartsfestival.com.