The Indianola Art Festival is September 20, 2026 from 10 AM - 5 PM at Buxton Park (705 N Buxton)! 

The Indianola Public Arts Commission is excited to bring back our annual Art Festival!  

The Art Festival will take place in Indianola’s historic Buxton Park on Sunday September 20, 2026, from 10 AM - 5 PM. Our event will be held rain or shine, no rain date is scheduled.

The festival draws over 30 artists! Visitors can enjoy live entertainment, including singers, flutists, and pianists, yard games, food trucks, and other activities! 

We are excited to announce that emerging artists are eligible to apply for the 2026 show! Please click the link below for more information. 

Details for Artists: 

Location: The festival will take place Sunday, September 20, 2026, from 10 AM – 5 PM. The festival will be held at Buxton Park (705 N Buxton Street, Indianola, Iowa 50125). 

Event Details: All Artists must check in before the event begins at 10:00 AM at the welcome tent with volunteers. Artists may begin setting up at 7 AM on Sunday. There will be an unloading zone on our park trail from N. Buxton Street. Please move your vehicle to our vendor parking area, and then set up your tent and exhibit space. There will be NO driving on the grass. 

Do not begin taking down your exhibit before 5 PM on Sunday. 

Before the event, we will send a map and booth assignments to you.

Eligibility: All work submitted to be displayed and presented for sale must be the original, handcrafted work of the applying artist. Resale items and crafters are NOT permitted.

The technique or process for making the art must be explained in the "Description of Processes or Technique" section of the application. You must have a valid Iowa Sales Tax permit at the time of application. Click here Version Options Indianola Art Festival HeadlineHow To Apply: for more information from the State of Iowa and to apply for a permit. 

Jury Process: All artists new to our event will be juried. Jury items (three photos of your work) plus one booth photo must be submitted with your application (photos will NOT be returned). The Indianola Public Arts Commission reserves the right to remove any items from the show that do not meet jury expectations. Artists who attended the event last year will not be juried. 

Emerging Artists: The emerging Artist booths are designed for recent graduates of art schools. The emerging artist fee is reduced, and this must be the first art show that the applicant is participating in. The artist must have a tax ID number. A limited number of emerging artists will be accepted. A tent will be provided for emerging Artists. All applicants will be subject to the jury process as mentioned above. 

Booth Registration Fee:  A booth fee is $75 and covers one vendor spot, approximately 15'x15' ft. to accommodate a 10'x10' tent. Artists are responsible for their own tables, chairs, displays, canopy, tents, etc.. Tent weights are required, and NO tent stakes are allowed (this is to avoid puncturing the underground sprinklers).  If you need more than one spot please contact us.  

Accepted Media: Please review the “Accepted Media Categories” for more information about what kind of artwork will be accepted into the juried art show. You will be notified by email around July 1, 2026, if your work is accepted. Click here Version Options Indianola Summer Art Festival HeadlineHow To Apply: to view the "Accepted Media Categories". 

Food: We will have an assortment of food trucks which you can purchase food from. 

Important Dates: 
June 1, 2026 - Artist applications due
July 1, 2026 - Notification of acceptance
August 1, 2026 - $75 Vendor booth fee due after August 1 $100.00.
September 20, 2026 - Festival 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Teardown at 5 p.m. not before

How To Apply:

Complete the Artist Application no later than June 1, 2026. Online registration is preferred. 

New Artists please click here. 
Returning Artists click here.  
Emerging Artists Click here. New for 2026

If you do not receive a confirmation email within four business days after you apply. Please email arts@indianolaiowa.gov. This response is different than the automatic email you get after you submit your application. 

Payment: 
Returning Artists: After you submit your application form you will be redirected to pay online. New Artists: After you receive your acceptance notification, you may pay your booth fee. 

The fee is non-refundable and due by August 1, 2026. For applications and late payments received after August 1, 2026, the fee will increase to $100. 

Please click here Version Options Indianola Summer Art Festival HeadlineHow To Apply: to pay your fee. When choosing a description on the payment page, please choose another and add a description. The description should say "Art Festival Vendor." There is no cost to pay online. You can use a checking or savings account. Credit Cards are also accepted except American Express. If you are paying by check please make payable to the City of Indianola and mail to 

City of Indianola 
%Art Festival
110 N 1st St. 
PO BOX 299
Indianola, Iowa 50125.

Questions: If you have further questions please contact Cassandra at arts@indianolaiowa.gov. 

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Post Event Artist Survey

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