Pictures from the Marion Arts Festival

Hundreds packed Marion Square Park to see vendors from throughout the Midwest. From jewelry to paintings and ceramics, there was something for everyone – including some amazing kettle corn to enjoy why you shopped. We had the opportunity to spend a couple hours at the Marion Arts Festival today, as well as visiting a few shops in downtown Marion. 

I thought I’d share some pictures.

For more pics please visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26661191@N04/?saved=1

posted by: heatherjoy77

 

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The Smaller Side of the Corridor

Chalk the Walk event in Mt. Vernon reminds us all that the smaller towns contribute to the Corridor’s quality of life.

I know the purpose of this blog is talk about the Corridor – and even as a local I’m not exactly sure what we mean by the Corridor. I think at one time a study was completed that said Cedar Rapids and Iowa City technically act as one metro area, based on whatever factors studies like that consider important.  The economies are shared. The citizens zoom back and forth on I-380 like Chicagoans drive across town for a great restaurant.  There are so few miles between the two and the people are so intertwined in both cities they could statistically be counted as one. 

I know the Corridor technically refers to the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City area.  But I don’t think the Corridor can be so easily defined.  It’s not bounded by highways or city limits.  It’s more than just Cedar Rapids and Iowa City; it’s also the small towns in the area that consider this their home.  Places like Mt. Vernon, West Branch, and Central City may not technically be the Corridor, but the people that live there and the shops, restaurants and activities from these towns undoubtedly contribute to why the Corridor is so inviting.

Art in the Depot

What do trains and art have in common? Every April, I get excited when I see the billboards and posters go up around town for the annual Marion Arts Festival. It has been and continues to be an event that my family and I look forward to attending each spring.

This year’s event will be held on Saturday May 17th, 2008 in the quaint park near the Marion Train Depot.  See: http://www.marionartsfestival.com for more details.

I have been to many an arts festival, such as the large Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach, CA and the Marion Arts festival can certainly hold its own. I appreciate the quality of art that is brought in and the wide range of arts on display. Iowa and the Midwest is blessed with many talented artists, no matter what their medium of choice might be. I particularly like handmade jewelry, and two of my favorite pieces have come from the Marion Arts Festival. I wear them with happy memories of time spent with my husband and a great bag of kettle corn to munch on while we look.

The festival is not only about highlighting midwestern talent, but students from around the area, make bowls from various mediums and you can purchase those. The “Empty Bowl” project raises money for food banks across Linn County. If you don’t like to shop then you can participate in the 5K run. There is something for everyone!

Marion is so close, yet it usually takes this event to get me to drive 15 minutes to enjoy all of what Marion has to offer and to see a great deal of people from the community that I know that have also come out to enjoy the arts!

I encourage you to discover what the Marion Arts Festival has to offer.

posted by: Anne Ohrt

Local artists showcased at Make Art, Not War art show

Local artists will be displaying their work at the IMU tomorrow (March 28) as part of the University of Iowa Anti-war committee’s “Peace Week” celebration.
 
Make Art, Not War: Art Show and Campus/Community Literature Fair
2-7 pm, IMU Ballroom, 2nd floor
The event is free.
Visit www.aaronbos-wahl.com/imuartshow for more information.