September 13–19, 2026
Every September, 25 nationally recognized artists spend a week painting the greater Omaha metro area — outdoors, in public, in real time. That's the Heartland Plein Air Festival. No gallery required. Just artists, easels, and the landscape in front of them.
The inaugural festival runs September 13–19, 2026, with painters working across more than 20 locations in Douglas and Sarpy Counties. You're welcome to follow along.
The Art Form
Plein air is French for "open air." It's the practice of painting outside, on location, responding to whatever the light, weather, and surroundings are doing right now. The technique goes back to the Impressionists — Monet, Pissarro — artists who believed you couldn't really paint a place from memory. You had to stand in it.
Plein air painters typically work fast, capturing a scene in an hour or two before conditions change. The results are loose, alive, and specific to a moment that won't happen again.
The Experience
Artists spread out across the metro each day to paint. The public is free to follow along, watch them work, and ask questions — that's part of the point. Throughout the week, artists also give lectures at Ralston Public Schools and lead workshops for children in foster care.
The week closes with a public exhibition and auction on September 19, where paintings created during the festival go on display and are available for purchase. A separate Collector's Soirée on September 18 gives collectors early access to the collection.
Every piece is painted on-site during festival week, so every piece is one of a kind.
Behind the Scenes
The festival is presented by the Ralston HINGE Creative District, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses arts and culture to drive economic growth in Ralston. The district was founded in 2021 and is led by Debra Joy Groesser, owner of Debra Joy Groesser Fine Art.
It's also grant-supported: Ralston was selected as one of just 13 recipients of a Nebraska Arts Council Creative District Development Grant — funding designed for projects that attract visitors, create jobs, and strengthen Nebraska communities. The festival is also supported by The Sherwood Foundation and the Ralston Archives Museum.
The brushes come out in
September 13–19, 2026 · Douglas & Sarpy County
Don't miss a brushstroke.
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