En Plein Air Competition 2021

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection’s annual En Plein Air Competition is an invitation for artists to celebrate the legacy of the Humber River by responding to the natural and cultural heritage through art.

Following in the footsteps of the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, painters set their easels down on the McMichael’s grounds and in the historic Village of Kleinburg to paint en plein air. The month-long competition held in September 2021, saw 83 artists submit over 150 works of art in oil, acrylic, watercolour and pastel, as they challenged themselves on both canvas and paper surfaces.

The competition jury panel, which consisted of representatives from the Gallery’s Curatorial Department and the McMichael Volunteer Committee, is pleased to present and celebrate the winners of the 2021 McMichael En Plein Air Competition, on view online and in-person at the McMichael Community Gallery until April 30, 2022.

On this page, we are also pleased to share the exceptional work of shortlisted artists in each category.  On behalf of the McMichael family, we congratulate all the artists that competed in this year’s En Plein Air Competition. See you next year!

“It was a privilege and great pleasure to jury this year’s En Plein Air competition. The submissions in each category were of such high quality that we had a difficult time selecting winners. Each artist that applied to the competition demonstrated true creative vision and a high level of technical ability. We commend all contestants for their submissions and extend our congratulations to the prize winners.”

– Jennifer Hinrichs, Brittney Sproule and Sheena Simons,
2021 McMichael En Plein Air Competition Jurors