One of the top-rated art shows in the country opens this afternoon along the bridges and surrounding streets of downtown Des Moines. Mo Dana is executive director of the Des Moines Arts Festival which is expected to attract more than 225-thousand people over its three-day run.The show features 150 artists from across the U.S., more than 70 hours of entertainment and some 40 childrens’ activities — and it’s all free. About 60-percent of this year’s artists are new to the festival and seven-percent are from Iowa. Nearly one-thousand applications were taken in for the 136 available slots — as last year’s top-14 artists were invited back. Dana says there’s a wide range of art for everyone’s tastes and anyone’s wallet. Art will be showcased in 14 categories, including: sculpture, glass, jewelry, ceramics, painting, graphics, drawings and more. The prices go from 35-dollars for smaller items to 35-thousand dollars for the larger sculptures. More than one-and-a-quarter million dollars in art was sold last year. Dana says the festival is ranked among the nation’s best, according to the ArtFair SourceBook.The Des Moines Arts Festival ranks number-five in the U.S. out of the top 600 shows, that’s up from number-six a year ago. The top shows are in: San Francisco, Saint Louis, Denver and Milwaukee. For more information, surf to “www.desmoinesartfestival.org”.
