Cycle of Life
Plein Air Festival
at Conservation Garden Park
Paint What's Alive Around You
Celebrate conservation, creativity, and the cycle of life.
Bring your easel, choose a spot anywhere in the garden, and create from life. Every age, every medium, every skill level welcome — no entry fee, no jury, just a day outside making art together.
Saturday, September 26 · 10:00 am–4:00 pm · Conservation Garden Park · 8275 S 1300 W, West Jordan, UT 84088
About the Festival
The Cycle of Life Plein Air Festival is a free, family-friendly day of outdoor art-making at Conservation Garden Park. Artists of every age and background set up throughout the garden and create on location — anything in the park can be your subject: water, plants, pollinators, people, the seasons turning.
This isn't a juried show or an art market. It's a community celebration of growth, change, and the living landscape around us, with a little friendly recognition at the end of the day for pieces that capture that spirit.
Spectators are just as welcome as artists. Walk the garden, watch pieces come together, vote for your favorites, and stick around for the awards gathering.
Event Day Schedule
Time | What's Happening |
|---|---|
8:30 AM | Staff and volunteer setup — tables, booths, signage |
9:00 AM | Registration opens — check-in, canvas stamping, and new sign-ups |
9:00–10:00 AM | Artists choose a spot in the garden and get set up |
10:00 AM | Public opens — creating begins |
2:30 PM | Artists wrap up and bring work to the display/judging area |
2:30–3:00 PM | Judging, with visitor token voting running alongside |
3:00–4:00 PM | Awards gathering, reception, and artist mingling |
Who Can Join & Mediums
Categories
Professional
Amateur
Youth (ages 13–18)
Kids (ages 3–12)
Minors age 14 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian for the duration of the event.
Mediums
Any medium is welcome, as long as it's quiet, mess-conscious, and can be created outdoors within the event window:
Drawing
Mixed Media
Oil
Acrylic
Watercolor
Sculpture
Other (tell us what you're bringing!)
Medium selection on the registration form is just for planning purposes — it doesn't lock you in.
Awards & Recognition
We keep the spirit of the day playful, not competitive. Three judges and a visitor popular vote (via tokens dropped in covered jars) will recognize pieces across categories like:
Best in Show — the strongest piece across theme, design, and feeling
Water Wise Wonder — best representation of water conservation or the water cycle
Local Plant Love Award — best celebration of native or adapted plants
Cycle of Life Award — best expression of growth, change, decay, or renewal
Pollinator's Choice — best depiction of bees, butterflies, birds, or habitat
Most Joyful Interpretation · Best Little World · Clouds, Rain & River Award · The Rooted Award
Most Daring and Most Unique — for creative risks and clever approaches
People's Choice — the visitor token vote, tallies stay hidden until awards time
Young Sprout Award and Brave Brush Award — for our youth and student artists
Judges may even invent an award on the spot if a piece deserves one. Full award list and category breakdown live on the registration form and printed program.
How to Register
Registration is free and takes just a few minutes online.
-
Fill out the artist registration form with your contact info and skill category.
-
If you're 14 or younger, a parent or guardian completes the permission section with you.
-
Show up the morning of the event, sign in, and get your canvas stamped between 9:00–10:00 AM.
Same-day, walk-up registration may be available depending on space — but registering ahead guarantees your spot and helps us plan the day.
Rules at a Glance
Open medium — painting, drawing, mixed media, and more. Nothing that harms plants or needs a noisy generator.
Canvas stamp required — canvases/foundations must be blank and stamped at check-in before creating begins. A base tone is allowed; no stamp means no judging.
On location only — work must be created en plein air at Conservation Garden Park that day. No working from photographs.
Family-friendly — subject matter must be family-friendly and non-political. Objectionable content won't be accepted or displayed.
No entry fee, no sales — free to enter and attend. This is not a market — no on-site transactions or direct sales, though you're welcome to hand out business cards or QR codes.
Extra pieces welcome — bring up to 3 additional finished pieces for the display hallway near the lunch area (not judged, just to share your work).
Visitor voting — tokens go into covered jars so results stay a surprise until the awards gathering.
Leave no trace — clean up your space responsibly at the end of the day.
To review the Cycle of Life Plein Air Festival — Official Rules & Regulations, click here.
How to Prepare/What to Bring
Bring
Your own supplies and blank canvas or surface (unstamped and undecorated — a base tone is fine)
Easel, seating, or a comfortable setup for a few hours outdoors
A sunshade or hat — you'll be outside most of the day
A wagon or cart if you need help hauling gear from parking
Water and sunscreen
Business cards or a QR code if you'd like to share your work (no on-site sales, just connections)
Easels or a stand if you're displaying extra pieces in the entry hallway
Know before you go:
Parking is ample on the east side of the park
You can set up anywhere in the garden — including on the grass, just be mindful of the plants
The creating window is 10:00 AM–2:30 PM (4.5 hours)
Artists must sign in and get stamped between 9:00–10:00 AM
Frequently asked questions
Is this event free?
Do I need experience to enter?
Can I sell my work at the festival?
What if my child wants to participate?
Can I bring already-finished pieces?
What happens if I don't get my canvas stamped?
Is there parking?
What should I do if it rains or the weather turns?
Can I watch without registering?
Who do I contact with questions?
What are the Cycle of Life Plein Air Festival — Official Rules & Regulations?
One Day. One Garden.
However You See It.
Whether you're painting your first piece or your five-hundredth, there's a spot for you in the garden this September. Come create, come watch, come celebrate the cycle of life with us.
Saturday, September 26 · 10:00 am–4:00 pm · Conservation Garden Park · 8275 S 1300 W, West Jordan, UT 84088
Cycle of Life
Plein Air Festival
at Conservation Garden Park