September 3, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:

Sommer Toffle, SAMA-Ligonier Valley Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

Travis Mearns, Public Relations Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

SAMA-LIGONIER VALLEY TO HOST INAUGURAL PAINT OUT EVENT

            Ligonier – The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley will debut a new, weekend-long event this fall. Over the weekend of September 25 through 27, the Museum will host its inaugural Invitational Plein Air Paint Out. The event will welcome approximately 50 artists from throughout Central and Western Pennsylvania to paint, en plein air, in and around Ligonier.

            On Friday and Saturday, artists will paint various local sites and scenic views. On Sunday, the event will conclude with a wet exhibition and art sale featuring the works created over the weekend. The public is invited to attend the wet exhibition and art sale, free of charge, at the Museum from 1 to 4 p.m.

            Artists will be provided with a list of suggested sites to paint and will be encouraged to engage with other local artists, collectors, residents and visitors.

            “I think the Paint Out will offer a unique opportunity for individuals to interact with artists,” said SAMA-Ligonier Valley Coordinator, Sommer Toffle. “And those who attend Sunday’s sale will be able to purchase some great work that has never before been displayed.”

            SAMA-Ligonier Valley’s Paint Out is the first event of its kind in the area. Other arts organizations and parks around the country hold similar events annually, including those organized around Florida’s Forgotten Coast, Vermont’s Lake Champlain, Canada’s Niagara Falls, Oregon’s Coos Bay and Cape Arago, and Arizona’s state parks.

            The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art is located at One Boucher Lane and Route 711 South in Ligonier. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. weekends. The Museum is a handicapped-accessible facility and is open to the public free of charge. For more information, call the Museum at (724) 238-6015 or visit www.sama-art.org.