Some of the artwork chosen to be on display this weekend at the Des Moines Arts Festival comes from talented artists from Iowa State.

The Emerging Iowa Artists Exhibit is part of this weekend’s art festival in Des Moines, and will feature the work of 24 artists from colleges, universities and places of higher education across the United States.

In addition, all artists chosen will showcase an hour-long demonstrations of their work and have their own display booth this weekend. Of the 24 artists chosen for this exhibit, eight are current students or recent graduates of Iowa State.

One artist picked this year is Dean Vande Griend, a 2009 graduate in fine arts.

Griend’s area of specialty includes woodworking and designing furniture. This weekend, he said, his booth consists of some stand-alone cabinets, a couple benches and a large dining-room table. This is Griend’s second time showcasing his work in this event. He said he is looking forward to it again this year.

“I like the chance to be able to sell stuff, and you get a lot of exposure, because a lot of people come through and you talk to a lot of people, and they express an interest in your stuff,” Griend said.

Ryan Kappelman, a 2008 graduate in integrated studio arts, will also show his work this weekend. Kappelman specializes in photography and said he enjoys taking black and white images in addition to very realistic images with no special effects.

Kappelman said he enjoys capturing images of the countryside.

“I grew up on a farm, so a lot of it’s farm animals, and I’m really into decaying architecture, like old barns that are falling down and stuff like that,” Kappelman said.

“I like capturing stuff that you know isn’t going to be around forever.”

Kappelman is also showcasing his work for the second year at the festival. He said he enjoys getting the chance to talk to people about his work. Between working two jobs, Kappelman said he doesn’t have much time to dedicate to his work, so this weekend will be quite enjoyable for him.

The other ISU artists with work on display this weekend are Fumi Ikeshima, Jon Kamrath, Andrew Kopp, Hiromi Okumura, Jared Porter and Dustin Whited.

Everyone in the exhibit will have a chance to win “Best of Show,” which includes a $1,000 prize. In addition, the “Best of Show” winner will get to come back next year without having to go through the selection process.

The Des Moines Arts Festival takes place June 28–29 in downtown Des Moines. All of the 24 artists will exhibit and sell their artwork on the corner of 12th and Locust Street.

Participating students and alumni:

Dean Vande Griend

Fumi Ikeshima

Jon Kamrath

Ryan Kappelman

Andrew Kopp

Hiromi Okumura

Jared Porter

Dustin Whited