Twenty Years of
Fine Art and Flip-Flops.

Founded in 1992 and held the third Saturday of each May, the Marion Arts Festival offers art of exceptional quality, dishing up a singular and highly anticipated event.  Consistently ranked in the top tier of fine art events nationwide, the MAF has been named as being among the Top 20 festivals in the country, as the #1 show featuring 100 artists or fewer and, further, as the best one-day event in the nation.




Our annual Art in the Depot activity finds attendees of all ages contributing hands-on toward the creation of a community project later installed as an enduring piece of public art.

The Empty Bowls Project involves more than 500 area students through the creation of over 1,000 ceramic bowls, which are then donated to the festival and sold day-of to raise funds for area food banks.

The MAF Half Marathon and 5K Run & Fun Walk takes a flat, fast course through uptown Marion, inviting runners to experience cutting edge race technology features.

Now, add in a slate of specialty foods and off-beat artist demonstrations.  In total, the festival offers a high caliber, fully accessible cultural experience – a day of fine art and flip flops, families and connoisseurs, fun and education.

The Marion Arts Festival deeply appreciates community and corporate sponsorships toward the event, and we treasure the individual volunteer support that goes into making each festival.  Our thanks, always, to our audience, Marion and the larger community.

We're a by the community,
for the community event.

It's our twentieth anniversary! The Marion Arts Festival was founded – and continues to be supported – by talented and dedicated volunteers. Our 2012 event is being planned and executed by the following community members, each one exceptional. If you would like to join in the planning, contact us for information and encouragement.



2012 MAF Advisory Board

Director & Committee Heads

MAF Friends

The Marion Arts Festival enjoys support from

and is a proud member of the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance





    

Pictured: MAF advisory board chair Brad Thomason with the statuette recognizing the Marion Arts Festival as the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance 2011 Icky Honoree for Locally-Produced Festival, as voted by 150 Eastern Iowa cultural organizations.