Blog

3rd Keeseville Plein Air Festival a Huge Success

The Keeseville Plein Air Festival, a key part of AdkAction’s Community Revitalization Project, had its most successful year yet.  Twenty-seven artists registered for the five-day event and the products of their work hung in the Block Gallery on Front Street from Friday evening through Sunday, July 12-14.

The paintings were a charming mix of scenes from Keeseville and surrounding communities, from Essex to the Peru Boat Landing.  For the third annual event, judges awarded first prize to Debra Bayly for her classic Keeseville scene of the AuSable River and the old nail factory, second prize went to Kari Ganoung Ruiz, and third to Jackie Clark. Jerry Russell won the People’s Choice Award.

One of the highlights of the week, the Preview Party, was packed Friday night with over 100 people perusing paintings while enjoying wine, beer, and finger food.   The five-day event requires a lot of volunteers (we counted at least 28), including judges for the artwork and hosts providing housing for the visiting artists. The number of businesses and individuals sponsoring the event also grew this year thanks to the leadership of Board Member Andy Prescott. During the three-day show, $13,500 of art was sold, about $3500 more than last year.

Many thanks to everyone who helped make this event a success!

More content to discover

From Landfill to Meadow: AdkAction Featured on a Native Bee Podcast

It’s not often that a project in a small Adirondack town with fewer than 1,500 year-round residents catches the attention of someone halfway across the globe. But that’s exactly what happened when Jacy, host of the The Bee’s Knees Podcast, discovered AdkAction’s Landfill Pollinator Habitat project. In this recent episode,

Read More »

Winter Isn’t Over for Everyone: Inside AdkAction’s End-of-Season Road Salt Workshops

For many of us in the Adirondacks, winter is behind us. Snow shovels are (mostly) put away, gardens are starting to take shape, and thoughts are turning to warmer days. But for the people responsible for keeping our roads safe, the recent winter is still very much alive. At AdkAction’s

Read More »

Opening Doors: Turning Short-Term Rentals into Long-Term Homes​

When a lakeside short-term rental in Essex became a year-round home, it offered more than just stability for one property owner. It opened the door for a local family to put down roots. This story highlights how small shifts in how we use existing housing can ease the Adirondacks’ housing crunch, strengthen communities, and create lasting connections between neighbors.

Read More »