The sunset reflecting off Lake Winnebago sparks the inspiration, or so Amy Michaels, art teacher at Shattuck and member of the Neenah Arts Council, thought when she helped organize Neenah Paints the Town — Community Plein Art Celebration.  Open to all ages, the event is set for Friday, Sept. 21 from 5-7 p.m. at Riverside Park Harbor.  All art supplies, as well as artist instruction, will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring a lawn chair, blanket, snacks and water of their own, if they so choose.

The artists that attend this event may be inspired to recreate the sunset, as artists have been painting outdoors for centuries in order to perfectly capture natural light.  In fact, plein, a French expression meaning “in open air,” is even used in the name of the event, possibly as a nod to its historical derivative.

“I think it’s a great way to bring a community closer through a common hobby,” Jerzey Popp, senior and AP art student who shared her thoughts on Neenah Paints the Town — Community Plein Art Celebration.

Art does not only connect community; it unites the world as well.  Possibly, at the same exact moment the artists at Riverside Park Harbor are capturing the golden sunset in medium, artists on the other side of the globe are practicing the same plein technique to capture a stunning sunrise.