This is the weekend of the Des Moines Arts Festival, which has a reputation for being one of the biggest and best art festivals in the country. Years ago, the Des Moines Arts Festival started out in Greenwood Park, near the Des Moines Art Center. Back then it was mostly Iowa Artists, and it was on a much smaller scale. For several years it was held on the bridges, and it was during this time that it shifted from Iowa artists to national artists. During the past few years it has been held just to the west of downtown in the Western Gateway Park. And this year the art is displayed in tents surrounding the new Pappajohn Sculpture Garden, which made the entire event all the more attractive.
As is often true, we had violent thunderstorms and strong winds during the night followed by temperatures in the nineties with a heat index of 105 today. With that forecast in mind, my sister and I got out there early. We had our sunscreen and water bottles filled with iced tea, with a stop for refills at Starbucks. It was a great day, despite the heat, and it makes me so happy that we have these kinds of events in a city the size of Des Moines.
Artists are here from all over the country, with one street of tents devoted to the art of art students from local colleges. I really enjoyed seeing their work. Some if it is also within reach of my meager budget.
The Art Festival is a family affair with tents for kids to create their own masterpieces. The festival is a place where face painting is taken to a whole new level. The two kids above, and their mom, were kind enough to let me photograph them. To deal with the heat, people found shade where ever they could, and others cooled off by taking a dip in the fountains.
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