Which Iowa City is Considered A Midwestern Art Hub?

Artists from around the world compete for the chance to appear at an arts festival in this Iowa city. Every summer during this celebration of all things art, booth after booth containing painters, sculptors, pottery makers, photograph takers, jewelry creators, and more, line an area around this city's permanent sculpture park.

Every attendee has the opportunity to chat with the artists about their work, why they do what they do, what their methods are, and what inspires them.

This city in Iowa is only a 4 hour drive from Sioux Falls. Have you guessed it? The city is none other than the capital of the Hawkeye state, Des Moines.

The Des Moines Art Festival takes place every summer but is just one of the reasons that the city is considered an art mecca for the entire Midwest/Plains region. The Des Moines Art Center was founded in 1948 and has been an innovative leader in the art field ever since.

Mainframe Studios is the largest non-profit art studio building in the U.S. with workshops for kids and adults. The Art Route Des Moines is a six-mile trail that leads people to works of art through a series of artsy arrows on the sidewalks & intersections.

Performing arts also abound in this "hub of artsiness" from the ballet to the symphony, Des Moines has it covered.

So if you're heading there to take in capital activities anyway, or just stopping through, it would be worth your while to take in a whole lot of art goodies along the way!

Source: Lori Erickson/Triple AAA World /March-April 2022