Plein Air Moab made its debut in the spring of 2009 in Moab, Utah. Modeled after the Escalante Canyons Art Festival, a Moab artist and the Moab Arts & Recreation Center organized a Plein Air Advisory Board to manage the heavy workload involved in organizing a festival. Over the years, several artists and art enthusiasts rallied in support of the event. The first Plein Air Competition hosted roughly 25 artists. Plein Air Moab originated as an 8-day gathering of local and nationally known artists celebrating open air painting in breathtaking environments. Plein Air Moab culminated in competitions, awards and the sale of wet paintings.

Year after year, Plein Air Moab continued to grow until reaching its peak in 2014 with a record 100-130 artists participating and over 400 art lovers in attendance.

In 2015, the heavy workload took a toll on the small team and Gallery Moab stepped in to offer support. The small cooperatively owned gallery partnered with the MARC and scaled the event back to a "Le Petit" event hosting 7 workshops and one downtown Moab quick draw painting competition. The focus of the event was shifted from competition to education, camaraderie, and inspiration.

From there, in 2016, the event continued with a fresh Advisory Board. This year was the first ever to include permits for Arches National Park and the artists were finally able to paint the world famous scenery that makes Moab truly unique!

The birth of Red Rock Arts Festival was in 2017. Building off of the original plein air painting competition, the event was rebranded to broaden art opportunities for artists and art enthusiasts. The new addition of the Street Festival gave fresh life to the event. Live music, food, artisan vendors, and kids activities were added to the schedule to increase attendance, art sales, and provide attendees with an opportunity to experience different art forms.

Red Rock Arts Festival continued through 2019, offering more workshops and different types of art to the community, in addition to the normal line-up of plein air painting activities and awards. Even more artists were brought back to Arches National Park for round two, only this time with less restrictions on painting locations and the number of participants.

Along comes COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, the beloved arts festival came to halt in 2020. The MARC shifted into planning a tentative but hopeful event for 2021. With ongoing pandemic uncertainty affecting travel and gathering plans, plein air registration drastically decreased.

​What to expect for 2021 and beyond: The MARC is still committed to facilitating the Red Rock Arts Festival through its evolution. Art workshops and events in writing, film will continue with the Street Fest and musical performances.

Throughout the years the festival has hosted many famous workshop instructors and judges such as Kathryn Stats, George Handrahan, Brienne Brown, Betty Carr,  Lyn Boyer, Joshua Bean, Jill Carver, Clive Tyler, and Roland Lee, to highlight a few. The 12-year-long event has seen its participants grow from being competitors to becoming judges, workshop teachers, and award winning artists.