Evanston Plein Air Festival Exhibit at Saw Room Gallery
The Saw Room Gallery, inside Alley Gallery, is hosting the 5th Annual Plein Air Festival Exhibit, featuring works by competing artists and festival participants through the years.
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 11, 5-7p. All works are for sale and a great opportunity to start your plein air art collection.
Exhibit dates: July 5-20
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 11, 5-7p, RSVP here
Address: 1712 Sherman Ave. Evanston, IL 60201
Hours: Monday - Saturday 10 AM–5 PM
Evanston’s Plein Air Art Festival is July 11-19, 2026, click here for event schedule and information.
Competing artists are invited to sign up for the festival here and display plein air art in this exhibit.
About Evanston Plein Air Festival
Evanston Made presents the 4th Annual Evanston Plein Air Festival: July 16-20, 2025. This citywide summer arts festival invites the community to plein air art events and competitions hosted in every neighborhood, accessible and free for all!
Watch competing artists paint in the Plein Air style, capturing Evanston’s beauty and start your plein air art collection!
Click here for event information and schedule of events.
5th Anniversary Evanston Plein Air Festival • Saturday, July 11 - Sunday, July 19, 2026
Hosted by Evanston Made and community collaborators, this citywide summer arts festival invites the community to attend plein air art events, plein air — the act of painting outdoors, hosted in every neighborhood, accessible and free for all! This festival is a vibrant, art-filled experience for arts enthusiasts and patrons during the summer.
Schedule of Events
- Saturday, 7/11: Saw Room Gallery Festival Exhibit & Reception,1712 Sherman Ave., Rear 2, 5-7p
- Sunday, 7/12: Paint Out, 1-4p at Arrington Pond. Awards at Café au Lake, 4p
- Monday, 7/13 Open Paint
- Tuesday, 7/14: Class with Judge, 9a-1p at Arrington Pond. Paint Out: 1-5p, Greenwood Beach. Awards at Dawes Park Picnic Area, Picnic Table D, 6:30p
- Wednesday, 7/15: Paint Out: 1:30-5:30p, Central Street between Greenbay Rd & Hartrey. Awards: 6:30p at Independence Park, Central and Stewart St.
- Thursday, 7/18: Paint Out: 1:30-5:30p in Downtown Evanston. Awards: 6:30p at LeTour, 625 Davis St.
- Friday, July 17: Paint Out: 1:30-5:30p at Main & Chicago Avenues. Awards: 6:30p at Block Party, 514 Main St.
- Saturday, 7/18: Paint Out: 8:30-11:30a, at Farmers Market. Awards: 12p at Evanston Made Tent.
- Sunday, July 19: Festival Finale at Rotary International,1560 Sherman Ave. Vote Festival Favorite & Shop Plein Air Art Market: 12-3p. Awards: 3:30p
Click here for information on how to register to compete and volunteer!
About The Saw Room
Since 1985, Alley Gallery has helped facilitate healthy art practices. Alley Gallery staff has always been encouraged to develop their work, as well as help local artists frame their work as attractively and economically as possible. It has been our desire to provide a platform to exhibit stunning original artwork by local artists as space allowed.
As the Alley Gallery expanded into part of the old Bookman’s Alley space in 2013, we finally saw the opportunity to make the dream a reality. We hope that The Saw Room will be a venue that will help cultivate a creative culture in Evanston. The full official name of the exhibition space is the Christopher H. Molloy Memorial Art Gallery, but he always called it “the saw room”, so it stuck.
The Saw Room is open to the public everyday during Alley Gallery normal business hours. Visit thesawroom.com
About Evanston Made
Evanston Made is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization with the mission to connect Evanston creatives to the public through programming and events. Learn more at evanstonmade.org and consider making a donation of any amount to support programs that drive our mission. Click here to support us!