Programs & Events
The LOOM Plein Air Invitational
October 23-25, 2026
The LOOM Plein Air Invitational brings together artists whose work closely attends to landscape through drawing and painting. We understand landscape not simply as scenery, but as the living, built, social, and ecological world around us, where what we call the natural and unnatural are continually entangled.
At a moment when our attention is constantly being pulled elsewhere, paying close attention can itself be urgent and meaningful. To notice something is to acknowledge that it matters.
Over the weekend, artists will spend time in and around Philmont looking, listening, observing, and responding through drawing and painting. We are interested in what artists notice when they spend sustained time with a place, and in how those acts of attention can reveal the ways environment, architecture, infrastructure, human activity, and other forms of life are constantly shaping one another.
Nato Thompson
Director, LOOM
The Invitational and Open Call
Throughout Friday and Saturday, participating artists will work across Philmont and the surrounding area. Visitors are invited to come by LOOM near the Summit Knitting Mill, pick up information about the weekend, and find out where artists are working that day. A private reception will be held for the artists on Sunday from 1-4 PM EST in Hudson, NY.
Participating invited artists include Ellen Altfest, Melissa Brown, Ying Le, and Johnny DeFeo, with additional artists to be announced.
Five regional artists will also be selected to participate through an open call.
Come Visit
Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24
Philmont, New York
Artists will be working throughout Philmont and the surrounding area.
Visitors can stop by the LOOM information and check-in area near the Summit Knitting Mill for a map, schedule, and information about where artists are working.