Armonk Outdoor Art Show Returns for 51st Year This Weekend
One of the most popular and critically acclaimed art shows in the metropolitan area returns to Armonk Saturday and Sunday.
The Armonk Outdoor Art Show featuring 185 highly accomplished artists representing an array of media opens for the 51st year at Community Park on Business Park Drive. Sponsored by the Friends of the North Castle Public Library, all proceeds are donated to the library.
In recent years, the show has attracted about 8,000 visitors to Armonk over the two days, said Stacy Wilder, co-chair of this year’s event. The show includes original works using oils and acrylics, water color, mixed media, sculpture, photography and digital art, print making, drawings and pastels, fine crafts and wearable art.
Artists from all over the United States, and this year even a couple from abroad, clamor to be included in the festivities. The show is juried, which also adds to the prestige, Wilder said. Sunshine Artist Magazine has ranked it among the top art shows in the New York area.
Wilder said hundreds more artists who aren’t selected for the show submit applications for consideration. This year’s lineup features 48 new artists, keeping the show fresh for patrons.
“We’ve been around for 51 years. I think word gets out that we treat our artists right and they enjoy coming here,” Wilder said.
New this year will be docent tours to give visitors additional insight into the artists and their work and a children’s treasure hunt, she said. There will also be a food court for the public’s convenience.
Last year the show along with the 5K road race, which was run for the first time in 2011 the Sunday before to commemorate the show’s golden anniversary, raised close to $100,000 for the library, said Sean Ryan, a North Castle Library trustee and past president of the Friends. The race also kicks off a week of festivities that started last weekend.
What also makes the show successful is the small army of community volunteers, Wilder said. This year about 200 local residents have signed on to work for some portion of the weekend, she said.
While Armonk is a small hamlet, drawing people from far and wide for a weekend has helped get the word out to the community.
“I think it really put us on the map, being a small town,” Wilder said. “We got national recognition because of this.”
The show will run both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. rain or shine. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors. Children 18 and under are admitted free.
Community Park at Business Park Drive can be reached at Exits 3/3S off Route I-684, 10 miles north of I-287 and I-95, five miles from the Merritt and Hutchinson parkways and 20 minutes from the Tappan Zee Bridge. On-site parking is free. For more information, visit www.armonkoutdoorartshow.org.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
