The Olmsted Plein Air Invitational was organized in 2015 by Charles Andy Hall (1949- ) and Lillian Kirbo Ansley (1958- ). Hall, a landscape architect, conceived of the idea while recovering from a surgery and taking daily walks through Olmsted Linear Park in the Druid Hills neighborhood, Atlanta. Alongside Ansley, a professional artist, Hall co-chaired the planning committee for the inaugural event, inviting top plein air artists to capture the historic park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903). Geri Laufer (1950- ) joined the public relations and marketing committee in 2015. The following year, Ansley and Hall established Olmsted Arts, Inc., a nonprofit organization that would function as the parent organization for the Invitational.

Each spring, the week-long event hosts invited artists at several notable historic, natural, and civic locations across Atlanta, including the grounds of the Atlanta History Center and the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The Invitational offers lectures and workshops alongside the main competition for Atlanta residents to learn about the history and technique of plein air painting. The Invitational also hosts local high school and college students, offering scholarships for its two-hour PaintQuick competition and invitations to artist demonstrations. In 2018, Olmsted Arts, Inc. began hosting the Georgia Color Plein Air Invitational, an additional annual painting competition held across several sites in Georgia such as Madison and Savannah.

Geraldine "Geri" Adamich Laufer (1950- ) was born to Albert H. W. Adamich (1923-1989) and Albina F. Adamich (1922-1983) in Euclid, Ohio. She attended the University of Pittsburgh, receiving a bachelor of science in Social Psychology and Education. In 1970, she married David Laufer (1950- ), before completing a Master of Science in Horticulture from Rutgers University. The couple moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1977, and Laufer joined the Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG) as a volunteer, designing the first membership brochure for the garden. She served on the Board of Trustees from 1980 to 1998, before working as the Public Relations Manager and Senior Garden Writer for ABG between 1998 and 2009.

Laufer joined the Olmstead Plein Air Invitational in 2015, managing the event's public relations and marketing with Lillian Ansley. She was responsible for copywriting and designing sponsorship packages, brochures, posters, and programs for the event as well as communication with the event's invited artists, sponsors, and attendees. Laufer's work for the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational has been featured in national fine art publications including PleinAir Magazine andFine Art Connoisseur.

Lillian Kirbo Ansley (1958- ) was born to Bruce Kirbo (1930-2018) and Catherine Mary Kirbo (1927-2022) in Bainbridge, Georgia. She graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in Graphic Design from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia, before pursuing a graduate degree in medical illustration at the Medical College of Georgia. In 2007, Kirbo founded the communication and design firm Kirbo+Ansley in Atlanta.

Ansley co-founded the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational with Charles Andy Hall (1949- ) in 2015. She served as the organization's Board President and oversaw fundraising, marketing, and operations for the Invitational. She was also responsible for securing a non-profit designation for Olmsted Arts, Inc., and expanding the organization to host an additional annual competition, the Georgia Color Plein Air Invitational.