Plein-air (open-air) painters will be at work Saturday, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Highlands Nature Sanctury, 7660 Cave Road, just west of Bainbridge.

Weather permitting, members of the Columbus-based Ohio Plein Air Society will work outside along the sanctuary’s wooded, landscaped trails above the gorge of Rocky Fork Creek . Other painters are welcome to join them, or visitors may come to hike the trails and observe the artists at work.

The paint out is one of a series of events as part of the Highlands Nature Sanctuary’s 2016 Artist-in-Residence program, hosting five artists for a three-week stay within the 2,200-acre preserve. The residency is part of efforts by the nature sanctuary’s parent organization, Arc of Appalachia, to provide varied opportunities for people to connect with nature. No reservation is necessary for the June 11 event.

Visitors can bring their own paints and canvasses or hike the Sanctuary’s trails and watch the artists at work. Find out more by calling 937-365-1935 or e-mailing [email protected].

The Highlands Nature Sanctuary, site of the Appalachian Forest Museum and three developed hiking trails, encompasses the former Seven Caves nature theme park and 2,140 additional wooded acres above the Rocky Fork Gorge near Bainbridge. The sanctuary is one of 15 preserves owned or operated by non-profit Arc of Appalachia, which aims to protect a chain of ecologically and archeologically important forested sites in the Appalachian foothills, including several significant Native American earthworks. Currently stewarding 5,134 acres, Arc of Appalachia now hopes to expand its preserves in 2016 by purchasing an additional 861 acres at six separate sites.

Submitted by Betty Rogers, Arc of Appalachia, Highlands Nature Sanctuary.