Des Moines Arts Festival® Names Ten to the 2024 Emerging Artist Program

5/16/2024

(Des Moines, IA) – The 2024 Des Moines Arts Festival® presented by Nationwide will feature a showcase of ten promising visual artists in this year’s Emerging Artist Program presented by Principal. The program provides artists with the unparalleled experience of exhibiting at the award-winning summer Festival for free. The Des Moines Arts Festival is June 28 – 30 in Western Gateway Park.

The Emerging Artist Program was launched in 2003 when G. David Hurd (dec.), Chairman and CEO of Principal Financial Group (now Principal), envisioned the next generation of artistry and artists. The program was created for Iowa residents who were enrolled in or recently graduated from a university, college, or arts school located anywhere in the country. Twenty years later, in 2023, the program was expanded to welcome individuals looking to make a new career in art at any stage of their life.

The artists were juried into the Festival through the same blind jury process held in February that selected the professional artists for this year’s Festival. The Emerging Iowa Artists will have a joint booth located on Grand Ave. near 13th St. The Emerging Artists will have individual booths located across the Festival site.

The following artists were selected by the jury for the Emerging Artist Programs:

Emerging Iowa Artists:
Lisa Ellingworth, Waverly, IA
Hawkeye Community College