PRESS RELEASE
RE: Cityscape 2015: Contemporary Views of the Urban
Scene
Sponsor: Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association
(MAPAPA)
For more information:
http://www.mapapa.shuttlepod.org/Media-Kit
CONTACTS: Gary Pendleton at gary.pendleton1@gmail.com
Stewart White at stewhite30@mac.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mid-Atlantic Artists Launch CityScape 2015
Artists of the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association
(MAPAPA) are taking to the streets to paint their cities. In an
unprecedented, year-long “paint-out,” the public will witness these
outdoor artists setting up their easels in and near city parks and
streets, monuments, sports stadiums, underpasses, railroad yards,
and any other place those artists think will yield a vibrant and
honest view of today’s urban scene.
Seven major urban centers of the Mid-Atlantic are featured in
CityScape 2015: Richmond, Washington, DC, Baltimore,
Wilmington, Philadelphia, Newark, and New York. Each of these
cities, all situated along the I-95 corridor, will have scheduled and
unscheduled opportunities for MAPAPA members to paint within
their boundaries.
Artist Stewart White, president of MAPAPA, says, "The urban scene
has held immense importance in American art history. We're
indebted to those artists of the past who, in their own times, captured
honest views of our cities. MAPAPA artists will be out there painting
on city streets to capture their own moments in time and record
those cities as they are today."
The city paint-outs will culminate in two major exhibitions for
MAPAPA’s “Year of the CityScape” in the fall of 2015.
The Peale Center in Baltimore will host an opening reception on
October 23, 2015 for “The Year of the Cityscape: Contemporary
Views of the Urban Scene, ” a major exhibit of juried works from the
year-long effort of MAPAPA members to create paintings within the
boundaries of the major urban centers along the I-95 corridor from
Richmond to New York. The exhibition will be open to the public on
October 24, 25, 31 and November 1, 2015.
A non-juried exhibition of Philadelphia paintings is scheduled to
open September 13 at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA. A third
exhibition, with dates to be announced, is expected to take place in
Wilmington.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Time Line for MAPAPA CityScape 2015 Paint-Outs:
April 18, Wilmington, DE Paint Out #1
May 6, Richmond, VA
May 9, Philadelphia Paint Out
May 23, Baltimore Paint Out
May 30, Wilmington, DE Paint Out #2
May 31, Washington, DC Paint Out
June 7, Wilmington, DE Paint Out #3
August 29, New York City Paint Out
Dates TBA, Newark Paint Out
September 13-October 10 Wayne Art Center Exhibition of Philadelphia Cityscape
Paintings. Wayne, PA.
Oct. 23 Exhibit Opening and Reception at the Peale Center.
Oct. 24, 25, 31, Nov. 1 Exhibit Open to the public
Go to www.mapapa.shuttlepod.org/Media-Kit for more information about these
activities.
About the Peale Center for Baltimore History and
Architecture:
Built in 1814, this historic venue was one the first buildings in
the United States to be built and designed as a museum. Over the
years, the Peale has housed many significant art collections.
However, the museum fell vacant in recent years and is now in
process of being revived. The restored Peale Center, located at
225 N. Holliday St., is expected to be a lively gathering place to
explore Baltimore’s rich architecture and diverse history.
www.ThePealeCenter.org
About Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association
(MAPAPA):
MAPAPA is an organization of nearly 300 artists hailing from
the Mid-Atlantic states who are dedicated to painting “en plein
air,” or “in the open air.” In its purest form, plein air painting is
done on location (rather than in the studio) and without the
use of photographs. Plein air paintings are valued because
they can honestly capture the light and atmosphere of a scene
as well as a “moment in time,” and usually have a freshness and
immediacy that is less commonly seen in studio work. Because
light and shadow patterns change during the day, plein air
painters usually have no more than 2 or 3 hours at a sitting to
paint their subject in a consistent light, so they learn to paint
directly and rapidly.