"En plein air" is a French expression which means "in the open air", a phrase used to describe the act of painting outdoors. Margery Grella of Artspace 111 gallery and Tom Huckabee recruited artists for a plein-air art exhibition at Prairie Fest 2008. Participating artists sketched or painted the indigenous flora, fauna and landscape while Prairie Fest patrons observed the pieces developing and bid on them via silent auction. Proceeds were shared by the artists and the Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area. It was a huge success and promises to be even better in 2009!