Sioux City's biggest and best art festival is here! I went for the first time as a Morningside student and enjoyed seeing it with my parents, and it's so fun to see this great event continuing even now that I'm a mom of four including a middle-schooler. Talk about a long-lasting tradition! Here's what families should know about this annual arts event:
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What is ArtSplash
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| Caterpillar craft from ArtSplash 2022 |
ArtSplash is a two-day celebration of primarily visual arts and live music in downtown Sioux City, hosted by the Sioux City Art Center. The festival celebrates artists from a variety of mediums, with a focus on regional and local artists, and includes art you can see, buy, and even make! ArtSplash also includes hands-on projects for all ages, food vendors, and lots of other fun.
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| Sculptural pieces at a booth at ArtSplash 2022 |
2023 admission to the festival is free for all ages, but hands-on projects, food, and any art or other vendor wares you choose to buy are not included with admission. And you're definitely going to want to buy some if it's in your budget right now! There were so many gorgeous pieces at the 2022 festival from jewelry to pottery to paintings and photography and beyond. I bought some earrings from South Sioux City jewelry artist Ambrosia, and they're so pretty!
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| Jewelry and leather bags from South Sioux City's Ambrosia Designs |
When is ArtSplash?
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| Ribbon potatoes were one of many food items available at ArtSplash 2022 |
ArtSplash is almost always on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend; for 2023 the festival will be held on Saturday, September 2nd and Sunday, September 3rd from 10am to 5pm on both days. Movie showings for the film festival are at the even numbered hours, so 10am, noon, 2pm, and 4pm on both days.
Where is ArtSplash?
ArtSplash has taken place in many locations in the past, including the riverfront and Riverside Park, but the 2023 ArtSplash festival will take place at the Sioux City Art Center in downtown Sioux City. The official address is 225 Nebraska Street in Sioux City, IA. The parking at the Sioux City Art Center itself will be used for festival booths, stages, and other fun, so visitors need to park elsewhere. There are lots of spots on nearby downtown streets (and metered parking is free on weekends!) but there are also tons of free parking spots at the Tyson Events Center, and there will be a free shuttle running between ArtSplash and the Tyson, so that is where the majority of Art Splash visitors are encouraged to park.
Featured Artist at Art Splash
Britton Hacke is the 2023 Sioux City ArtSplash featured artist. He's known for his photography, which has been featured in a variety of public and corporate campaigns, gallery shows, and even graces some bottles of Jones Soda! Congratulations to Mr. Hacke on being chosen for this honor.
ArtSplash will also have art to view and art to buy from dozens of other artists across mediums including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, jewelry, fiber arts, and more! It would honestly be difficult to even look at them all when attending Art Splash, but I encourage you to look at as many as you can because they are all so talented and their works are all so unique!
Live Entertainment at Art Splash
ArtSplash features live musical performances throughout both days of the festival. 2023 concerts include:
- The Langleys
- Paul Imholte
- the Siouxland Chorus and Barbershop Quartets
- Noah Towns and Chandler Fields Dueling Pianos
- Chad Elliot & Fiddler
Art Splash Kids Zone
The Sioux City Art Splash Kids Zone is actually two zones: the Kids Art Zone and the Kids Fun Zone.
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| 3-D Animal Puzzles waiting for kids to decorate them at Art Splash 2022 |
The Kids Art Zone is full of hands-on art projects for kids. To participate, you have to buy tickets for $1 each, and then each project costs a certain number of tickets. There are eight projects scheduled for 2023:
- Fantastical Feathers: 2 tickets
- Trendy Iron-On Patches: 3 tickets
- 3-D Wooden Animal Puzzles: 5 tickets
- Spray Bottle Painting: 5 tickets
- Creative Creature Treasure Boxes: 6 tickets
- Mosaic Treasure Tiles: 6 tickets
- Rocket Wind Spinners: 7 tickets
- Mini Food Sculptures: 7 ticket
I went with family, and we found that about 10-12 tickets per kid was good--that's enough to do one "big" project and 2 smaller projects. For my kids and nephews, ages 3-8, that was all the patience they had for doing projects. Tweens who love art, or families going on both days, might be able to use more tickets and do closer to all of the projects.
And for a great deal on tickets, go get this deal from the Sioux City Journal to get 20 tickets for $10. The deal runs from
One change I would love to see in future years though would be to include some more tween and teen oriented projects though, like maybe some jewelry making and/or a more complicated painting project like they sometimes do on Saturday afternoons.
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| Mosaic tile project for kids at the 2022 Art Splash Festival |
The Kids Fun Zone is where you'll find magic shows, face painting, and more! Performers for 2023 include Rainbow Trout, the face-painting clown; Amazing Arthur, an Omaha-based performer who offers mentalist magic shows and comedy hypnotism according to his website; and Jered the Incredible, who I couldn't find a website for but appears to also be a comedy magician.
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| Wooden snake project at ArtSplash 2022 |
In 2022, there were also various free crafts inside the art center, sponsored by local non-profits, like clothespin caterpillars from the Junior League and slap bracelets from the Humane Society. And there were gold and silver stars to decorate inside the theater area!
More information
To find out more about the Sioux City Art Center's Art Splash, visit the ArtSplash page on the Sioux City Art Center website.
To find out more about the Art Center, check out my full guide to the Sioux City Art Center!
ArtSplash is definitely one of Sioux City's most fun annual events and it's a great way to spend a little of your Labor Day weekend making some art and some happy memories together with your loved ones, so I hope you get the chance to check it out!
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