Sioux City's biggest and best art festival is here! I went for the first time as a Morningside student and enjoyed seeing it with my parents, and it's so fun to see this great event continuing even now that I'm a mom of four from toddler to teen. Talk about a long-lasting tradition! Here's what families should know about this annual arts event:
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What is ArtSplash
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| Caterpillar craft from ArtSplash 2022 |
ArtSplash is a two-day celebration of primarily visual arts and live music in downtown Sioux City, hosted by the Sioux City Art Center. The festival celebrates artists from a variety of mediums, with a focus on regional and local artists, and includes art you can see, buy, and even make! ArtSplash also includes hands-on projects for all ages, food vendors, and lots of other fun.
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| Sculptural pieces at a booth at ArtSplash 2022 |
2024 admission to the festival is FREE for all ages, but food, and any art or other vendor wares you choose to buy are not included with admission. And you're definitely going to want to buy some if it's in your budget right now! There were so many gorgeous pieces at the 2022 festival from jewelry to pottery to paintings and photography and beyond. I bought some earrings from South Sioux City jewelry artist Ambrosia, and they're so pretty!
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| Jewelry and leather bags from South Sioux City's Ambrosia Designs |
When is ArtSplash?
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| Ribbon potatoes were one of many food items available at ArtSplash 2022 |
ArtSplash is almost always on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend; for 2024 the festival will be held on Saturday, August 31st and Sunday, September 1st from 10am to 5pm on each day. The film festival will be showing kid-friendly movies at noon and 2pm, movies for teens & adults at 1 & 3, and 'best of the fest" at 11am and 4pm. These age recommendations are from the Sioux City International Film Festival and I do not know what movies they are actually showing so I can't offer any additional information to evaluate whether the movies specifically showing would be a good fit for your family.
Where is ArtSplash?
ArtSplash has taken place in many locations in the past, including the riverfront and Riverside Park, but the 2024 ArtSplash festival will take place at the Sioux City Art Center in downtown Sioux City. The official address is 225 Nebraska Street in Sioux City, IA. The parking at the Sioux City Art Center itself will be used for festival booths, stages, and other fun, so visitors need to park elsewhere. There are lots of spots on nearby downtown streets (and metered parking is free on weekends!) but there are also tons of free parking spots at the Tyson Events Center, and there will be a free shuttle running between ArtSplash and the Tyson, so that is where the majority of Art Splash visitors are encouraged to park.
Featured Artist at Art Splash
Amanda Browder is the 2024 Sioux City ArtSplash featured artist with her spectacular installation, Razzle Dazzle, which features many many yards of fabric stitched together by Browder and by local volunteers and draped across the art center. From inside, it creates an almost stained glass like effect!
ArtSplash will also have art to view and art to buy from dozens of other artists across mediums including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, jewelry, fiber arts, and more! It would honestly be difficult to even look at them all when attending Art Splash, but I encourage you to look at as many as you can because they are all so talented and their works are all so unique!
Live Entertainment at Art Splash
ArtSplash features live musical performances throughout both days of the festival. 2024 performances include:
- Paul Imholte
- Amazing Arthur
- Lil Red and the Medicated Moose Band
- Andrew Hoyt
- Noah Towns and Todd Chandler Dueling Pianos
- Luke Dawson
Art Splash Kids Zone
The Sioux City Art Splash Kids Zone is actually two zones: the Kids Art Zone and the Kids Fun Zone.
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| 3-D Animal Puzzles waiting for kids to decorate them at Art Splash 2022 |
The Kids Art Zone is full of hands-on art projects for kids. For 2024, these projects are all FREE!
I have been with my kids several times and they adored it and last year I posted:
"One change I would love to see in future years though would be to include some more tween and teen oriented projects though, like maybe some jewelry making and/or a more complicated painting project like they sometimes do on Saturday afternoons."
Well guess what they added??? An adult art project, also for FREE! I'm super excited to try it out if I have time to go to Art Splash this year. If you try it out, I'd love to see your pics.
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| Mosaic tile project for kids at the 2022 Art Splash Festival |
The Kids Fun Zone is where you'll find magic shows, face painting, and more! Performers for 2023 include Rainbow Trout, the face-painting clown; Amazing Arthur, an Omaha-based performer who offers mentalist magic shows and comedy hypnotism according to his website; and Jered the Incredible, who I couldn't find a website for but appears to also be a comedy magician.
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| Wooden snake project at ArtSplash 2022 |
In 2022, there were also various free crafts inside the art center, sponsored by local non-profits, like clothespin caterpillars from the Junior League and slap bracelets from the Humane Society. And there were gold and silver stars to decorate inside the theater area!
More information
To find out more about the Sioux City Art Center's Art Splash, visit the ArtSplash page on the Sioux City Art Center website.
To find out more about the Art Center, check out my full guide to the Sioux City Art Center!
ArtSplash is definitely one of Sioux City's most fun annual events and it's a great way to spend a little of your Labor Day weekend making some art and some happy memories together with your loved ones, so I hope you get the chance to check it out!
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