Last Sunday marked the Octagon Center for the Arts’ 53rd Annual Octagon Art Festival. Thanks to the efforts of the Octagon Center for Arts, crowds of visitors lined down Main Street in downtown Ames. Guests viewed the unique variety of art collections provided by artists from across the state who are given the chance to gather, share and sell the art they have been working on over the past year.

This year, 76 artists’ booths across the venue displayed art categories, including woodworking, printmaking and drawing, painting, photography, mixed media, jewelry, glass, metal and sculpture, fiber and textile and ceramic art. 

Kelsey Wilson, a painter from Nevada, Iowa, has been a part of and displayed her art at the festival three other times. She presented her prints of botanical scenes and even displayed the process of one of her paintings at her booth this year. Wilson believes the festival provides her with a way to accomplish her mission by providing an insight into her art and creative process to festivalgoers.

According to Wilson, her mission is to spread “joy through art.”

Other artists at the festival had different ideas of the best and most fun parts.

“[I most enjoyed] talking with the people [and] having conversations about the process,” first-time festival artist and ceramicist Jennifer Lee said. 

Other artists at the festival agreed. Some of them expressed that the opportunity to share art with others and see people appreciate it after spending a lot of time creating it made them feel proud.

The festival also featured a variety of food options from local food trucks and vendors serving everything from coffee to tacos to barbecue to shaved ice.

Multiple local musicians and dance groups, including Iowa State University’s Orchesis I Dance group, performed their songs and routines on the street throughout the day.

The festival also provided an area to inspire creativity in kids and allow them to join in on the fun. They were allowed to craft their own art with their families at a few different stations to make bracelets, paint and more.