Red Bird Sylvania Announces the 3rd Annual Sylvania Plein Air Festival

Daily Dose  |  07/22/2025 2:30 pm

Red Bird Sylvania is thrilled to announce the 3rd annual Sylvania Plein Air Festival presented by Red Bird Sylvania. Details here. 

On the morning of July 27th^h ,100+ regional and national artists will arrive in Sylvania and begin to paint in and around downtown. 10 locations have been commissioned as purchased prizes. A printable map with these locations can be found on our website here Map locations.This year’s top prizes will bring artists to Wildwood Metropark, Olander Park, the famous railroad bridge and historic homes throughout Sylvania.  Artists will be actively painting through Wednesday (7/30) afternoon.  Artists will come together on Thursday (7/31) for a meet and mingle on the outside patio at Inside the Five for the Red Feather awards, live music and relaxed mingle from 5-7pm.  This will include thank you’s and community gathering.

 On Friday August 1st from 5-8 PM during the Red Bird First Friday Art Walk, the final exhibition and award ceremony will be held At Fuller Art House and Hudson Gallery with an artist reception free and open to the public. The youth category show and awards will be held at Heritage Sylvania. The plein air paintings will remain on display and available for sale until August 16^th in all locations.

“Plein Air” is a French term that means “painting outdoors”.  Plein Air can also refer to painting on location, in an indoor location if desired as opposed to painting in an artist studio.  The practice goes back for centuries but was truly made an art form by the French impressionists. Artists take portable easels and set up outside and paint in nature for a few hours at a time. In recent decades, picturesque communities like Sylvania have created Plein Air events to draw artists and patrons to come to their towns as a cultural attraction.  There is both a competitive and educational element to the event. 

It is our privilege to welcome you into our arts community. We hope our passion for the arts and community inspires you to integrate art and creativity into your life. It is our mission at Red Bird Sylvania to bring you the best in arts and inclusive culture. We appreciate your willingness to join us on our journey to delight and inspire those in the Sylvania, Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan area.

Come celebrate art, community and the beauty of storytelling through the paintbrush of over 100 artists starting this Sunday in beautiful Sylvania!