The Fair

Iowa's capital city has burst into a party blossoming with white tents on this June Saturday morning. For several crowded blocks, it's hard to tell where the downtown farmer's market ends and the Des Moines Arts Festival along the city's signature river bridges begins-particularly since everyone seems to be munching on a snack and carrying bags of fresh vegetables in one hand and treasures such as paintings, sculpture, pottery, jewelry and glass creations in the other.

The jubilation of a long-awaited Midwest summer and hearty community support have helped this festival consistently log top-10 appearances in the Art Fair Source Book's national rankings. It's a regional knack: Seven of the top 10 in the 2005 rankings are located in the Midwest.

The Source Book's Greg Lawler ranks 600 fairs based on artists' sales and says Midwest festivals have been gaining strength for a decade. Lawler, a Wisconsin native living in Portland, Oregon, cites the Midwest's limited window of good weather as a factor in our outdoor festivals' popularity, but also credits Midwesterners themselves. "The people running those shows really want to make them the best they can be," he says.

The Des Moines festival's attractions are typical of how Midwest art fairs are family events. Live music from gospel to roots rock shakes the amphitheater along the Des Moines River, and community groups sponsor tents for activities such as making feather masks or braided bracelets. "If the kids are bored, it isn't fun for parents to look at art," says Mo Dana, the Des Moines festival's executive director.

When Midwest fair-goers do look at art, Lawler says, artists often notice a difference. "They're just more appreciative of the sacrifices people make to be artists," he says.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a suncatcher for sale among the works at these juried shows. And though you might find a corn dog, strawberries-and-cream crepes, gyros and curried chicken are just as popular. Still, artists and visitors say Midwest festivals remain down-home in spirit.

Greg Naylor, a local attorney who frequently buys at Midwest festivals says, "It's a great opportunity to see a concentrated variety of art."

Darrell Mertz of Des Moines munches on a seafood quesadilla as he studies a miniature landscape painted on copper. "It's an upscale art fair, but the rest of us are invited," he says.

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