UNI students: ARTapalooza wants you to attend!

The annual ARTapalooza is back again this year! View art, listen to some music, grab a bite to eat, let the kids play, and enjoy the company of friends and family on Sept. 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Cedar Falls. 

“There is literally something for everyone!” said Kim Bear, executive director of Community Main Street and who presents ARTapalooza. “Whether that is the art that is provided, the food that you can buy, or the shops that you can swing into, there is something for everybody.” 

Various artwork will be on display such as ceramics, metal, paintings, glasswork, metal sculptures, fiber, jewelry, photography, drawing, printmaking, and mixed media. Artists are from all around the region and go through a highly competitive, juried process of selection that determines the media that will be presented. The ARTapalooza committee strives to have a variety of media on display each year. 

ARTapalooza was not held last year due to COVID-19, so the enthusiasm to bring it back this year is high! The event is scheduled to be held each year on the first Saturday after Labor Day. ARTapalooza is also partnering with the Hearst Center for the Arts, a UNI booth for students to receive giveaway items for attending, and the Department of Technology’s Graphic Technologies Club (Grafx). Be sure to bring your UNI ID! 

“With not having the event last year, having to cancel the majority of the things we typically provide, this is just a kickoff to welcoming everyone back,” said Bear. 

The event was created by a group of art teachers and others who held an appreciation for art in the community who wanted more events and opportunities surrounding art. There was also a drive to invite the community into the downtown area and to appreciate the location. 

“I think it was an opportunity to invite people downtown and to enjoy what we have to offer down here,” said Bear. “It is probably my favorite day of the year because you see so many people just coming down, seeing what the artists have to offer, eating lunch, and enjoying all of the merchants that are here.”