plein air riverfest

The Utah Cultural Celebration Center is pleased to host the second annual Plein Air Riverfest in collaboration with the Intermountain Society of Artists, The Utah Watercolor Society, The Visual Art Institute, and the Get to the River Festival. Our main goal for this event is to encourage artists to enjoy creative time spent out in nature, appreciating the amazing Jordan River waterway that flows through our Salt Lake Valley and communities. This plein air is intended to be highly accessible to both emerging and seasoned artists working in any medium (except photography & digital media.) Artists can create anywhere along the banks of the Jordan River, during the Plein Air timeframe of August 1 to Sept 26, 2026, and are encouraged to include the river in their works.

The final exhibit, sale, and awards celebration will be held Friday Oct 2 from 6-8pm at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center. The Awards Celebration will include hundreds of dollars in recognition & awards, live music, & refreshments. We hope to nurture an artistic spirit of community, peer support, recognition, & fun with this event, rather than competition.

Artist Categories & Registration Fees

Completed registration & payment is due before dropoff of final framed works for exhibit. After online registration, you will be sent an email with a link to pay with a credit card online, or you may pay in person at the UCCC front desk at the time of drop off. Artists self-select the most appropriate category upon registration.

$20 Adult Professional & Semi-Professional Division

$20 Adult Amateur Division

$10 Young Adult Division, 13-17 years

$5 Kids Division, 12 & under, $5

$10 West Valley City residents are eligible for discounted fees.

($10 Adult, Free for Young Adult & Kids)

Exhibition & Sale

Artists may submit up to 2 works for exhibit & sale. Recognition Awards will be given for works selected from the final exhibit submissions in each category.

2-D Works in all mediums will be accepted including (but not limited to) watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, oil pastel, chalk, watercolor pencil, colored pencil, charcoal, graphite, gouache, natural materials, and mixed media. (Digital art & photography will not be accepted at this time). Substrate materials will not be restricted, and may include canvas, wood, aqua board, foamcore, watercolor paper, craft paper, colored cardstock, fabric, and other non-conventional artistic substrates.

All works submitted for final exhibit & sale should be at least 80% completed in the field anywhere along the banks of the Jordan River in the Salt Lake Valley, from Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake. A maximum of 20% is allowed to be completed or touched up in an indoor setting or otherwise generated offsite or from a referenced photograph. All artists will be asked to comply with these requirements on the honor system.

Final works may not exceed 36” width or height including the frame.

No wet paintings will be accepted.

All pieces must be framed for submission to the exhibit. Frames must include wire and D-rings, ready for hanging. Sawtooth picture hangers are not compatible with the exhibition display techniques and can not be accepted. Matting or float mounting is optional. Pieces submitted in the Kids 12 & under category are exempt from framing and may be displayed flat on a tabletop if no hanging wire is provided.

We encourage all artists to take a high quality digital image of their pieces prior to framing (especially under glass). These images may be shared with the UCCC team to be included in a digital exhibition to be presented at the Jordan River Commission’s Get to the River Festival concluding celebration. To participate in this optional digital exhibit, please send high resolution images to susan.klinker@wvc-ut.gov.

Completed framed works must be submitted between 10am & 2pm on Wednesday Sept 10th & Thursday Sept 11th, at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, or may be dropped off prior to that time by appointment. (Contact Susan Klinker for an appointment time at susan.klinker@wvc-ut.gov)

The artist will determine the sale price for each work submitted. Artists may submit works for exhibit & recognition awards, and not offer them for sale, noting NFS- Not For Sale.

An Exhibition form will be required to be filled out for each piece submitted along with 2 display labels. They may be filled out on-site or ahead of time and will include: Artist Name (must match registration name), Title, medium, location, size, sale price. One label will be mounted to the back of the piece and one will be displayed with the piece.

All art will be insured by the UCCC during the exhibition period.

Sales will be managed by the UCCC team and Utah sales tax will be collected. A 30% commission will be retained for the organization. Artists will be paid the balance due with a check sent by mail within 30 days of the exhibit close. Please price art work accordingly.

By registering, participating artists give the UCCC & partner organizations permission to publish digital and print images of artwork created at the Plein Air Riverfest for the purpose of education, publicity and for promotion of future events. Photos of submitted works may also be posted on social media and in print communications.