A festival in the Drake University of Des Moines that opens today features art, but it also focuses on "issues." Preston Daniels is a spokesperson for the Thresholds Art Festival . Daniels says the festival tries to bring people together to share experiences and themselves in a "peaceful entertaining way." He says it focuses on six Character points: respect for life, rejecting violence, share with others, listening to understand other people, helping to preserve the planet, rediscovering who we are as peoples. Daniels says the festival helps rejuvenate people.

Daniels says the festival has some nice themes that bring people together to share some entertainment and enlightenment as to who we are and how we can make a better world. One of the featured guests is Jean-Michel Cousteau a conservationist and explorer who is the son of Jaques Cousteau. Daniels says Cousteau will talk about the sea world and how we are handling the sea world as a country and a world and the impact of the seas on our entire way of life. Woodstock icon Richie Havens is another featured guest.

Daniels says Havens’ song "Freedom" still has some meaning today, even for those who weren’t around during Woodstock. Daniels says there are events for kids and adults and some are free and some require tickets. The festival runs through Sunday.