History and Awards

The Des Moines Arts Festival traces its beginnings to 1958 when the Des Moines Art Center hosted its inaugural Art in the Park on the grounds of Des Moines’ fine art museum. In 1997, with the advent of revitalized downtown urban energy, momentum grew to reinvigorate the 40-year-old event. Armed with a new name, new leadership, and a new location, the 1998 Des Moines Arts Festival splashed onto the downtown bridges that span the Des Moines River, showcasing the nation’s premiere artists and creating an opportunity for people of all ages to embrace the arts.

The first Art in the Park attracted little more than a few hundred people. Nearly five decades later, the Des Moines Arts Festival has established itself as the signature arts and culture event in Iowa, with an annual attendance exceeding 200,000 people. Since moving downtown in 1998, the Festival has welcomed more than one million visitors.

Early in the Festival’s growth, it was determined that the participating artists would drive the focus of the show. As a juried art fair, the Des Moines Arts Festival developed strong relationships with recognized organizations like the National Association of Independent Artists and International Festivals and Events Association. These relationships assisted in developing the artist program, which is now one of the strongest in the nation.

The relationship with Des Moines Art Center continues today with a portion of the proceeds from the Festival supporting the city’s art center. Its leadership serves on the Festival’s board and their presence during the Festival contributes to its overall legitimacy.

In 2000, the Membership and Art Gift Certificate programs were created to strengthen the Festival’s emphasis on art. Two years later, Nurturing a Student’s Vision (NSV) was developed to encourage children in their passion for the arts. The program has since blossomed to include more than 90 metro schools and over 300 kids and their artwork. NSV continues through the year with artwork displayed at downtown Des Moines’ Central Library. Participating students are honored by the Des Moines Art Center with a family membership and a certificate of achievement.

Beginning in 2002, participating artists were asked to demonstrate their craft during the Festival. Such demonstrations helped to make the art more accessible and create a better understanding between the artists and their artwork.

In 2003, the Des Moines Arts Festival reached new artists in the state of Iowa through the Emerging Iowa Artists program. This unique program provides an opportunity for residents of Iowa who are enrolled at any institute of higher education across the nation to display and sell their artwork during the Festival. The artists are juried along with the professional artists, but are not charged fees to either jury or participate.

Answering the call from Des Moines’ growing diverse population, the Festival featured a Global Performing Arts Stage in 2004. Along with two other stages providing music entertainment throughout the Festival, the Global Performing Arts Stage was dedicated to a variety of entertainment from music to dance to gardening lectures.

The 2006 Festival brought about the most significant change since 1998. Since access to the traditional Festival site on the downtown bridges would be under construction, the Festival would need a new location. Eight blocks west of the site construction was concluding on the new David Chipperfield-designed library and the John and Mary Pappajohn Higher Education Center. Surrounding these two marvelous buildings was Phase One of Western Gateway Park. In this all-new green space in the downtown community, the Des Moines Arts Festival found its new home.

In its new location, the Festival welcomed Brian Olsen’s Art in Action with rave reviews. His exciting and creative shows thrilled audiences throughout the three-day weekend. And in 2006, the Festival was awarded the Bronze Grand Pinnacle Award from the International Festivals & Events Association, along with eight Pinnacle Awards for achievements in marketing, merchandise, and programming.

In 2007, the Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary with a special performance by The Joffrey Ballet and several new initiatives. Interactive art took a front seat with the GuideOne Insurance Interactive Mural. The collective hand of the community created two billboard-sized replicas of Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night and Irises. The performing arts were also highlighted with live street theatre roaming the Festival site throughout the weekend. We even celebrated the Festival load-in with LIVE! Load-In Thursday at Blues on Grand! All of this combined with new live music, visual artists, arts activities and more, made the Festival’s 10th anniversary something to remember.

Over the years, the Festival has been recognized by a number of associations and trade magazines making it the most celebrated event in Iowa. No award has been more significant to the emergence of the Des Moines Arts Festival on the international stage as the Bronze Grand Pinnacle Award by the International Festivals & Events Association, and 17 Pinnacle Awards for marketing, merchandising and programming. The 2007 event was also named the Best Cultural Attraction of 2007 by Des Moines’ Business Record, and a Top 10 Art Fair and Festival by AmericanStyle Magazine.

AWARDS

2009 Top 10 Art Fair & Festival by AmericanStyle Magazine (No. 5).

2008 recipient of 17 Pinnacle Awards from the International Festivals & Events Association.

Named 2008 Best Cultural Event in Des Moines by the Des Moines Business Record.

2008 Top 10 Art Fair & Festival by AmericanStyle Magazine (No. 10).

Ranked 7th among 300 art festivals in artist sales by the 2007 ArtFair SourceBook. 

2007 Bronze Grand Pinnacle Award from the International Festivals & Events Association.

2007 recipient of 17 Pinnacle Awards from the International Festival & Events Association. 

Named Best Cultural Attraction of 2007 by Des Moines' Business Record.

2006 Bronze Grand Pinnacle Award from the International Festivals & Events Association.

Named one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2007 by The American Bus Association (ABA).

2006 recipient of eight Pinnacle Awards from the International Festival & Events Association.

Ranked 25th among 300 art festivals in artist sales by the 2006 ArtFair SourceBook.

Winner of four National Association of Independent Artist (NAIA) Artist Choice Awards.

Ranked 3rd among 300 art festivals in artist sales by the 2005 ArtFair SourceBook.

Received the 2004 Tourism and the Arts Award at the annual Iowa Tourism Conference.

2004 recipient of 11 Pinnacle Awards from the International Festival & Events Association.

Ranked 4th among 300 art festivals in artist sales by the 2004 ArtFair SourceBook.

2003 recipient of 11 Pinnacle Awards from the International Festival & Events Association.

Ranked 5th among 300 art festivals in artist sales by the 2003 ArtFair SourceBook.

2002 recipient of two Pinnacle Awards from the International Festival & Events Association.

Named the 2001 Iowa Tourism Event of the Year by the Iowa Division of Tourism.

Ranked 6th among 300 art festivals in artist sales by the 2002 ArtFair SourceBook.

Ranked 7th among 300 art festivals in artist sales by the 2001 ArtFair SourceBook.

Ranked 10th among 300 art festivals in artist sales by the 2000 ArtFair SourceBook.

Named Best Arts Show by Cityview.