Juried Art Fair
The centerpiece of the Des Moines Arts Festival is the highly competitive Juried Art Fair. Artists apply through ZAPPlication, the universal online application hosted by Creative West (formerly WESTAF (Western States Arts Federation), a regional nonprofit arts service organization. After the application window closes in January, artists are selected through a rigorous, industry-acclaimed blind jury process over multiple days in February. The process is completed by five jurors who are privy to images of the artwork with associated pricing, booth images, and an artist statement. No other information is provided to them. This intensive process results in a collection of vibrant, innovative, and masterful original works of art. The wide array of art in every medium attracts Festival guests year after year, who spend more than one million dollar.
2025 Visual Arts Award Winners
2025 Festival Jurors *Indicates awards jurors
Steve Jones, Suzy McGrane-Hop*, Jami Milne*, David Smith*, Mark Suddath
2025 invited artists
Evan Abrahamson, Waconia, MN
Cheryl Eve Acosta, Kansas City, MO
Glenna Adkins, Fort Thomas, KY
Dennis Angel, Edgewood, FL
Autumn Aslakson, Livonia, MI
Andres Arango, Miami, FL
Margaret Baker, Winter Springs, FL
Stephen Baldauf, Orlando, FL
Billie Barthelemy, Pinewood, MN
Melissa Banks, Chicago, IL
Laura Baring-Gould, Somerville, MA
Michael Behr, Minneapolis, MN
Chelsea Bird, Pawtucket, RI
Amanda Blake, Eugene, OR
Tom Bloyd, Stilwell, KS
Tony Borchardt, Florissant, MO
Mike Bose, Bedford, IA
Kyle Brown Jr, Columbia, SC
Jenna Brownlee, Clive, IA
Jason Brueck, Nashville, TN
Lisa Burge, Kansas City, MO
Steve Cambronne, FT Myers, FL
Andrew Carson, Seattle WA
Eric Candee, Salida, CO
Michael Cherepak, Lake Tapawingo, MO
Joey Chessey and Tyler Hack, Dayton, OH
Lisa Cimino, Baltimore, MD
Robert Coby, Ashtabula, OH
Matt Conlon, Ogden, UT
Karin Connolly, Orlando, FL
Josh Cote, Alexander, NC
Daphne Covington, Smyrna, GA
Pamela Covington, Overland Park, KS
Tony Cray, New Melle, MO
Chris Cumbie, Mobile, AL
Chris Dahlquist, Kansas City, MO
Craig Terry, Springville, UT
Don David, Palm Coast, FL
Michel Delgado, Chicago, IL
Lauri Dunn-Peterson, Denver, CO
Judith Eastburn, Des Moines, IA
Jeff Easley, Parnell, IA
Christine Echtner, Madison, WI
LJ Eidolon, Johns Island, SC
Ummarid Eitharong, DeLand, FL
Lisa Ellingworth, Waverly, IA
Paul Eshelman, Elizabeth, IL
Nathan Falter, Springfield, MO
Micah Ferin, Johnston, IA
Andy Fletcher, Stoddard, WI
Todd K Fox, Orlando, FL
Wendy Franklin, Indianapolis, IN
Michele A Friedman, Chicago, IL
Mark Gardner, Saluda, NC
Joan Gaspar Hart, Bellevue, IA
Kristin Gereau, Wukesha, WI
Dante Germain, White Bear Lake, MN
Steve Germaine, Fort Collins, CO
Betsy Giberson, Warner, NH
Eric Gonzalez, Tulsa, OK
Nyle Gordon, Ethel, MO
Blake Gore, Christiansburg, VA
Chelsea and Jeremy Griffith, Murphysboro, IL
Kristin Gruenberger, Gunnison, CO
Ashley Guzman, Ankeny, IA
Hilary Hachey, Baltimore, MD
Oliver Hampel, Naples, FL
Melissa Hampton, Saint Louis, MO
Cherie Haney, Ann Arbor, MI
Anthony Hansen, Morro Bay, CA
Shawn Harris, Trinidad, CO
Diane Harty, Frisco, CO
Jamie Heiden, Holmen, WI
Jenny Henley, Satsuma, FL
Clifton Henri, Chicago, IL
Michael Heule, Kansas City, MO
Pam Hibbs, Des Moines, IA
Scott Hildebrandt, Littleton, CO
Cali Hobgood, Urbana, IL
Adam Hoffman, Millcreek, UT
Gabriela Horvat, Buenos Aires
Justin Hossle, Minneapolis, MN
Luke Hubbard, Ankeny IA
Julie Jerman-Melka & Jeffrey Melka, Calumet, MI
Nicario Jimenez, Naples, FL
Megan Johnson, Burnsville, MN
Steve Jones, Wentzville, MO
Wiwat Kamolpornwijit, Alexandria, VA
Ronna Katz, Albuquerque, NM
Brian Keller, Denver, CO
Suro Kim, Lawrenceville, GA
Tanya Kirouac, Naperville, IL
Robin Kittleson, Geneva, IL
Karen Klinefelter, Boise, ID
Joachim Knill, Hannibal, MO
Laura Kochevar, Chicago, IL
Andrew Kosten, Brookings, SD
Jessica Ladd, Cookeville, TN
Jennifer Lashbrook, Dallas, TX
Genevieve Lavalle, Des Moines, IA
Stephanie Lavender, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Bill Lepak, St louis, MO
Linda Lewis, West Des Moines, IA
Sarah Lorentz, St Louis, MO
Lisa Loudermilk, Georgetown, TX
Rebecca Lowery, Bloomington, IN
Susan Mahlstedt, Kansas City, MO
Kate Marotz, Marshfield, WI
Kelly Marshall, Minneapolis, MN
Brianna Martray, Paonia, CO
Rob Matthews, Des Moines, IA
David Mayhew, Fort Collins, CO
Mays Mayhew, Aurora, IL
Amanda McGee, Galena, OH
Rachel Mentzer, Lorain, OH
Teresa Merriman, Colorado Springs, CO
Michael Mikula, Cleveland, OH
Ashley Sauder Miller, Harrisonburg, VA
Kirk Miller, North Palm Beach, FL
Rachelle Miller, Monona, WI
Mark Mohrenweiser, Brighton, MI
Carlos Montanaro, Indio, CA
James Mosier, Ballston Lake, NY
Katie Musolff, MyBeere, WI
Jimmy Navarro, Des Moines, IA
Christian Nevin, Orlando, FL
Kerri Norman, Brooklyn Park, MN
Lisa Norris, Chattanooga, TN
J David Norton, Akron, OH
Xavier Nuez, Chicago, IL
Randy O'Brien, Tucson, AZ
Susan Otterson, Madison, WI
Steve Palmer, Minnetonka, MN
Christos J. Palios, Timonium, MD
Jane Pellicciotto, Portland, OR
Kristin Perkins, Ypsilanti, MI
Alyssa Pinkerton, Fort Collins, CO
Hanna Piepel, Ankeny, IA
H.C. Porter, Vicksburg, MS
Mary Pow, Minneapolis, MN
Nolan Prohaska, Somerset, WI
Jef Raasch, Milwaukee, WI
Luis A Ramirez, Des Moines, IA
Ella Richards, New York, NY
Chris & Katie Robleski, Milwaukee, WI
Rachel Roen, Des Moines, IA
Andy Rogers, Lee's Summit, MO
Julie Roth, West Bend, WI
Neil Russell, Springfield, MO
Richard Ryan, Bourbonnais, IL
Sebastian Sanchez-Falero, Pilot Mound, IA
R.C Sanford, Strongsville, OH
Melissa Schmidt, St Louis, MO
Renée and Douglas Sigwarth, River Falls, WI
Annette Silkwood, Saint Charles, MO
Andrew Sovjani, Conway, MA
Molly Spain, Des Moines, IA
Jason Stoddart, Cookeville, TN
Gregory Story, Chicago, IL
Steve Stratman, Ironton, IN
Mark Sudduth, Cleveland Hts., OH
Ken Swanson, Racine, WI
Tai, Hannibal, MO
Sharon Tesser, Cape Coral, FL
Marina Terauds, North Branch, MI
Anne Terpstra, Chicago, IL
Kimberly Tschida Petters, Minneapolis, MN
Thomas Tyers, Omro, WI
Reiko, Grimes, IA
Jeff Unzicker, Union City, IN
Matt Vacca, Los Angeles, CA
Chris Vance, Bondurant, IA
Danilo Vinardell & Igris Morales, Miami, FL
Jeri Vitello, Bremen, IN
Nha Vuu, Fort Collins, CO
Karin Wagner Coron, Ypsilanti, MI
Neil Ward, Des Moines, IA
Robin L Washburn, Marion, IL
Chris Wheeler, Fort Collins, CO
Mick Whitcomb, Springfield, MO
Marisa S White, Beacon, NY
Don Widmer, Chicago, IL
Rob Williams, Windsor, CO
Claudia Winter, Long Grove, IL
R Michael Wommack, Langhorne, PA
Glenn Woods & Keith Herbrand, Palm Harbor, FL
Marc Zoschke and Wendy Zoschke, Springfield, IL