Montgomery Art Association - Paint the Town Labor Day Show

2026 Paint the Town Labor Day Show

Saturday, September 5 - Monday, September 7, 2026

Historic Armory (Kensington Town Hall)
3710 Mitchell St.
Kensington, MD

Join us for MAA's Paint the Town Art Exhibit and Sale: one of the DC region’s largest and longest-running art shows. The Town of Kensington and MAA present the Paint the Town Labor Day Show September 5-7, 2026, at the Historic Armory in Kensington, Maryland. The exhibition and sale is free and open to the public all weekend.

Photos at the right are from the 2025 Paint the Town Labor Day Show.

Participating Artists Catalog

Click here to learn more about exhibiting artists!

Schedule of events

Friday, September 4

Plein air competition check in, 4-7pm

Saturday, September 5

Plein air competition with models, 7am-3pm (check in 7-11am, return to be judged by 3pm)

Exhibition and sale open, 11-8pm

12-1pm Artist Demo: Pastel Painting with Gonzalo Luiz Navarro

2-3pm Artist Demo: Painting with Wool with Sally OConnell

4-5pm Artist Demo: Still Life in Charcoal with Timothy Williams

Awards Ceremony, 6-7pm Presentation by Jennifer Lynn Beaudet, judge for the 2026 PTT

Sunday, September 6

Exhibition and sale open, 11am-5pm
Live music from the Wilson Jazz Duo, 12pm
12-1pm Artist Demo: Sketching on Location with Teresa Sites

2-3pm Artist Demo: Painting with Dry Needle Felting with Jean Cooper

4-5pm Artist Demo: Zentangle with Wendy Shiau

Monday, September 7

Town of Kensington Labor Day Parade & Festival 10am-2pm

Exhibition and sale open, 10am-5pm
12-1pm Artist Demo: Spin Art with Chip Cecil

2-3pm Artist Demo: Painting on Tea Bags with Mark Adler

Customers pick up purchases, 5-8pm

Tuesday, September 8

Customers pick up purchases, 9-11am

Plein air competition starts Friday evening

When you stroll through Kensington on Friday night and Saturday, you'll see dozens of adult and youth artists painting and drawing. They are participants in our annual Plein Air Competition, which is open to the whole community. Artists may begin as early as Friday at 4 pm--as long as they deliver their final painting by 3pm on Saturday.

In addition to making art of any view within the town of Kensington, artists will also have the opportunity to paint or draw costumed models stationed at Flynn Park and Antique Row on Saturday morning.

Learn more

Sam Guindon paints outside the Kensington Armory, 2024

Jennifer Lynn Beaudet to serve as this year's judge

We are excited to announce that Jennifer Lynn Beaudet, award winning artist and local instructor, will be the judge for the 2026 Paint the Town show.

Ms. Beaudet is a Washington, DC area oil painter artist and instructor with extensive experience in regional juried exhibitions. She has advanced art degrees; received multiple Best in Show and First Place awards, and served an artist residency at Château d’Orquevaux in France. Ms. Beaudet teaches painting at the Compass Art Center in Kensington, MD.

We are honored to have Ms. Beaudet as our judge in 2026!