Ellicott City Presents Paint It! Ellicott City 2019

Artists from around the region will gather in Ellicott City the weekend of June 28-30 as Art in Ellicott City presents Paint It! Ellicott City 2019, an annual plein air painting event. The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) and Howard County Tourism have partnered to host this paint-out weekend culminating in an exhibit of 30 juried artists at the Howard County Center for the Arts.

The guest juror for Paint It! Ellicott City 2019 is award-winning plein air artist Nancy Tankersley, who selected the following artists for the juried exhibit: Bruno Baran, Christopher Best, Sid Branham, Blandine Broomfield, Thomas Bucci, Ann Crostic, Ronaldo Dorado, Raymond Ewing, Katherine Farrell, Erin Gill, Jill Glassman, Marita Hines, Debra Howard, Greg Johannesen, Zachary Kator, Jane Knighton, Kathleen Kotarba, Michael Kotarba, Carol Leo, Duane Lutsko, Michael McSorley, Amanda Milliner, Alina Poroshina, Christine Rapa, Ann Schaefer, Sandhya Sharma, Sharon Trumbull, Pamela Wilde, Tara Will, and Larry Witham.

The event begins with an Artist Orientation and Welcome Reception at the Howard County Center for the Arts on Thursday, June 27 from 4:30-6:30pm. Then, all day on June 28-30, artists will set up their easels throughout Ellicott City's historic district to capture the essence of the picturesque mill town and all its charms. Members of the public are encouraged to come watch the artists at work while strolling Main Street's sidewalks and shops. Artists and art students from the community will also join in the fun, painting alongside the juried artists as Open Paint-Out participants.

Artists and visitors are invited to attend a free reception at the Howard County Center for the Arts on Monday, July 1 from 6-8pm. The evening will feature the presentation of juror awards and a one-night exhibit of work created by Open Paint-Out artists. Awards will include the coveted Gino Awards, two $1,000 cash prizes sponsored by the Manelli family in honor of Ellicott City artist Gino Manelli (1915-2010), and a new $1,000 award from Art in Ellicott City. Additional Paint It! awards are made possible through the generous support of these sponsors: AARP, Patapsco Heritage Greenway, and Blossoms of Hope.

Registration is required for those wishing to be included in the one-night Open Paint-Out exhibit. Registration is available at the Arts Council and in the Exhibit Opportunities section of the HCAC website at hocoarts.org before or during the event.

This year's presenting sponsor, Art in Ellicott City, is a private foundation created in 2017 to further the creation and installation of public art in Ellicott City.

Paint It! Ellicott City 2019 will be on display alongside Persona, an exhibit featuring artwork by Oluwatobi Adewumi, Wynston Edun, Charlotte Mann, and Leah Taylor. These four artists create expressive, figurative works which broaden the conversation on how portraiture can evoke persona.

Both exhibits run from July 1 to August 9, 2019. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10am - 8pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm, and Sunday 12 - 4pm. The galleries and the Center for the Arts are closed July 4. To learn more about these and other HCAC programs, visit hocoarts.org or call 410-313-ARTS (2787).