The Des Moines Arts Festival includes all kinds of works.
Iowa’s largest city is hosting an event this weekend that’s ranked the past two years as the best of its kind in the world.
The Des Moines Arts Festival is expected to draw a quarter-million people over its three-day run and it opens this morning. Liz Adelman, the fest’s marketing director, says artists are coming from 37 states and Canada.
“We have 180 professional artists, we also have 11 emerging Iowa artists,” Adelman says. “In addition, we have opportunities for families and pretty much anybody to participate in all of our interactive art opportunities as well.” More than two-dozen organizations are offering interactive art activities. Part of the festival’s popularity is the wide range of artwork on display, as there are visual arts, performing arts, interactive art 
and live music. Whatever your art preference, Adelman says, you’ll likely find it in the Western Gateway.
Adelman says, “They feature graphics, printmaking, glass, jewelry, metalwork, mixed media, painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture and wood, just to name a few of the variety of types of artwork you’ll be able to see.” The festival strives to make art that you can take home and cherish accessible for everyone in 
all lifestyles, as prices range from ten-dollars into the tens of thousands. She says the event has global acclaim.
“In 2015, the International Festival and Events Association, which is a large trade association for events and festivals, presented the Des Moines Arts Festival as the Gold Grand Pinnacle, the number one festival in the world,” Adelman says. “It’s the second year. We received that honor in 2014.”
The fest hours are 11 A.M. to 10 P.M. today and tomorrow, 11 AM to 5 P.M. on Sunday. For full details, visit: www.desmoinesartsfestival.org.
