Paint Madison County, an En Plein Arts Festival

The Madison County Chamber of Commerce is excited to bring back its annual Paint Madison County event on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. This second annual event encourages artists to participate by capturing the hidden beauty of Madison County as they create artwork in the open air.

Artists will be given suggested locations throughout Madison County and will be encouraged to create 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Artists will be given the afternoon to finish their artwork, frame and drop off to Covered Bridges Winery to be displayed for sale for an evening cocktail reception from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Artists will determine the price of their artwork for the audience to purchase throughout the evening and receive 70% of the final sale price. New this year? The Chamber is excited to announce a $500 cash prize to the selected artist and piece that will be judged during the cocktail reception.

During the event, the Madison County Chamber of Commerce will provide maps and addresses of the locations given to artists to encourage attendees and residents of Madison County to visit and watch the artists create in real time.

About Paint Madison County

The Madison County Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to create an event that showcases the artists in our community, the beauty of our county and raise funds for local artists and to fulfill the Chamber’s mission to make Madison County a better place to work, live, play and conduct business.

Artists are encouraged to apply to participate in the event and can find the application at: madisoncounty.com. The deadline to apply is Thursday, Aug. 1. There is a small application fee of $25. Artists will be selected by a committee of Madison County citizens, business owners, and artists. During the day, Artists will be provided with a swag bag, t-shirt, lunch, snacks and dinner.

We are also excited to announce a new youth category this year! Kids under the age of 16 will be encouraged to participate in the youth category and each will receive a swag bag for participating. Each youth will also have the option to sell their artwork during the evening reception at Covered Bridges Winery. Applications can be found at: madisoncounty.com.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership calendar of events is a one-stop resource for activities taking place throughout the region. Find networking information for Greater Des Moines (DSM) businesses, including Chamber luncheons, roundtables and ribbon cuttings. You can also find live music happening each week thanks to the “Live Music This Week in DSM” blog series.