While recuperating from surgery, landscape architect Andy Hall was encouraged by his doctors to walk each day. Living near Olmsted Linear Park in Atlanta’s historic Druid Hills neighborhood, he began walking the park daily. Designed in the late 1800s by legendary landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, the chain of parks and surrounding residential areas revealed their brilliance anew through Andy’s trained eye.

During those walks, Andy gained a renewed appreciation for Olmsted’s genius and envisioned an artful way to celebrate and document the historic green space: invite some of the nation’s top outdoor painters to create original works directly in the parks. From that idea, the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational was born.

In its inaugural year, the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance embraced the event and provided critical support. A dedicated planning committee, led by co-chairs Andy Hall and Lillian Ansley, worked together to produce a successful first Invitational. Building on that success, the following year saw the formation of Olmsted Arts, Inc., a nonprofit organization created to serve as the parent organization for the Invitational and future arts initiatives.