Fresh Faces, Fresh Work

At this year's Marion Arts Festival, discover new favorites and support up-and-coming student artists through the Emerging Artists program, presented by Alliant Energy Foundation. This new offering will present five young artists from Eastern Iowa colleges and universities who have been mentored by area artists. They will be selling their work alongside the festival's slate of 50 professional exhibitors.

Participants were selected from a pool of students recommended by their program's art faculty, and will offer work in a range of media. These young artists include:

•          Kate Goering, painting, Coe College

•          Amanda Knutson, ceramics, Coe College

•          John Krizan, glass, Kirkwood College

•          Jessica Meirs, printmaking, University of Northern Iowa

•          Rebecca Skow, ceramics and photography, Kirkwood Community College

Surveys conducted by artist advocacy groups reveal up to 40 percent of festival-

circuit artists plan to retire within seven-to-ten years.  “This creates the understanding among event organizers that investing in the future of festivals is imperative and a community responsibility,” notes Deb Bailey, festival director. “By helping to demonstrate festivals as a source of viable, reliable income, we hope to encourage students to further explore fine art and fine craft as bona fide careers.”

This popular one-day art fair will be held Saturday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Greene Square Park in uptown Marion. For the line-up of the featured artisans and a schedule of the day's activities, visit www.marionartsfestival.com.