Art on the Prairie Festival
Art on the Prairie is a unique festival celebrating art, music, literature, and the joys of small town living, all wrapped up in a two day event in historic downtown Perry during the second weekend in November.
Join us for the 15th Annual
Art on the Prairie Festival:
Saturday, November 8, 2025 | 10am - 5pm
Sunday, November 9, 2025 | 10am - 4pm
Get ready for the 15th Annual Art on the Prairie Festival by previewing this year's event program:
Art on the Prairie Festival Returns to Downtown Perry November 8th & 9th
15th Annual Event to Take Place within 9 Historic Buildings in 2025
Perry, October 29, 2025 – The Art on the Prairie Festival returns for its 15th year, set to take place in nine historic downtown Perry buildings on Saturday and Sunday, November 8th and 9th, 10am-5pm and 10am-4pm, respectively. The annual art festival – which first took place back in 2010 – has become an annual tradition for the community, drawing thousands of visitors to experience the many activities of the festival, as well as the growing number of opportunities to shop and dine in downtown Perry.
“More than an arts festival” has become a mantra of the organization, as Art on the Prairie has witnessed a rebirth of culture through the arts in this small town set on the prairie. Celebrating art, music, literature, and the joys of small-town living, the festival has grown over the years to fill multiple buildings within three blocks of downtown Perry. As is tradition, the festival utilizes community buildings and available storefronts to create a weekend full of visual art displays, live music performances, poetry readings, and youth activities. The combination of spaces is slightly different each year, with this year’s festival taking place in Hotel Pattee, Betsy Peterson Designs, Common Wealth Provisions, Studio on Second, La Poste, Myrtle Building, Carnegie Library Museum, Security Bank Building and the Perry Public Library.
“In 2010, several of us got together in my shop and began to dream about an art festival in downtown Perry,” recalls Mary Rose Nichols, a founding committee member of Art on the Prairie. “Rather than use a convention hall as the backdrop for a festival, we envisioned showcasing art in the beautifully renovated buildings of Perry’s historic downtown. Layering this concept with live music, we held our first Art o the Prairie in three venues. From the beginning, our community has embraced Art on the Prairie, volunteering time and resources to make it a reality. We now revel in the joy of seeing our downtown bustling as festival-goers wander through nine venues filled with art, music, and the spoken word.”
The juried arts festival will feature 51 visual artists from across Iowa, displaying a variety of works including ceramics, painting, jewelry, photography, fiber and textiles, printmaking, glass, wood, and mixed media. This year’s featured visual artists are Pam Dennis and Ryk Weiss, to be featured in The Cellar of La Poste, 1219 Warford Street. The musical talents of 36 Iowa musicians will fill the historic venues with live acoustic, unplugged music for the two-day festival. Local artist displays, a mini canvas exhibit, and a youth art exhibit will again take place at the Perry Public Library.
“We are so excited that the festival is right around the corner,” Art on the Prairie Board Member Lynsi Pasutti explains. “So much goes on behind the scenes to create this unique event with so many different layers. Visual art is obviously the main feature in each of the historic buildings, but the addition of acoustic music adds to the ambiance. We have special activities to commemorate the 15th year this year which will be fun for all ages. Plus, Poetry on the Prairie is a mini-festival – in and of itself – which will be held in the Community Room of the Perry Public Library.”
Poetry on the Prairie will again be featured in its own venue with a full schedule of activities throughout the weekend, including a poetry readings by some of Iowa’s leading poets, poetry slam and open mic opportunities for poetry lovers, and workshops for aspiring poets. Poetry on the Prairie will feature fourteen Iowa Poets, as well as Lyrical Iowa Winning Poets. A complete list of Saturday and Sunday activities can be found at poetryamp.org along with poet bios.
To commemorate the 15th annual festival, the Art on the Prairie committee collaborated with Stanhope, Iowa artist Jill Sneed to create a limited-edition linocut print depicting the iconic prairie paint brushes that have adorned the festival since its inception. Just 15 prints will be available for purchase along with other Art on the Prairie merchandise to celebrate and support Art on the Prairie. Festival-goers can experience the magic of multi-layer printing with a multi-station hands-on activity to create their own mini version of the 15th Anniversary linocut print. Stations will be at Security Bank Building, Carnegie Library Museum, Myrtle Building, Common Wealth Provisions, and The Cellar of La Poste.
Additionally, a Mural Dedication for Perry’s newest mural will take place during the festival on Sunday, November 9th at 1pm at 1221 1st Avenue. To commemorate the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corp (1775-2025) and honor the legacy of all veterans, VFW Floyd Foster Post 2060 has lead a community mural project depicting the iconic flag raising at Iowa Jima during World War II. The mural, painted by Slater, Iowa artist Shawn Palek, will serve as a lasting public tribute to the honor, courage, and commitment of the U.S. Marine Corps and all who have worn the nation’s uniform. The mural is located near the Raccoon River Valley Trailhead at Caboose Park and will feature a real American flag mounted above it, raised for the first time during the Dedication Ceremony.
Art on the Prairie is free to the public and facilitated by a dedicated volunteer team, coordinated with a number of community partners. The Art on the Prairie organization wishes to thank all those that have supported the event in any way over the years – from countless volunteer hours to financial support of all sizes. Special thanks to those that have committed significant support to make this year’s festival a success, especially Raccoon Valley Bank, MidAmerican Energy, Perry Hospitality Inc, Hotel Pattee, La Poste, Rainbow Restoration, City of Perry, Perry Public Library, Iowa Poetry Association, Poetry Palooza, Beaverdale Books, Dan & Sally Spellman, Eric & Betsy Peterson, and The Proletariat.
A full schedule of activities during the 15th Annual Art on the Prairie Festival as well as detailed information regarding artists, musicians, poets and activities are available at www.ArtonthePrairie.org and the Art on the Prairie Facebook page www.Facebook.com/ArtonthePrairie.
“More than an arts festival” has become a mantra of the organization, as Art on the Prairie has witnessed a rebirth of culture through the arts in this small town set on the prairie. Celebrating art, music, literature, and the joys of small-town living, the festival has grown over the years to fill multiple buildings within three blocks of downtown Perry. As is tradition, the festival utilizes community buildings and available storefronts to create a weekend full of visual art displays, live music performances, poetry readings, and youth activities. The combination of spaces is slightly different each year, with this year’s festival taking place in Hotel Pattee, Betsy Peterson Designs, Common Wealth Provisions, Studio on Second, La Poste, Myrtle Building, Carnegie Library Museum, Security Bank Building and the Perry Public Library.
“In 2010, several of us got together in my shop and began to dream about an art festival in downtown Perry,” recalls Mary Rose Nichols, a founding committee member of Art on the Prairie. “Rather than use a convention hall as the backdrop for a festival, we envisioned showcasing art in the beautifully renovated buildings of Perry’s historic downtown. Layering this concept with live music, we held our first Art o the Prairie in three venues. From the beginning, our community has embraced Art on the Prairie, volunteering time and resources to make it a reality. We now revel in the joy of seeing our downtown bustling as festival-goers wander through nine venues filled with art, music, and the spoken word.”
The juried arts festival will feature 51 visual artists from across Iowa, displaying a variety of works including ceramics, painting, jewelry, photography, fiber and textiles, printmaking, glass, wood, and mixed media. This year’s featured visual artists are Pam Dennis and Ryk Weiss, to be featured in The Cellar of La Poste, 1219 Warford Street. The musical talents of 36 Iowa musicians will fill the historic venues with live acoustic, unplugged music for the two-day festival. Local artist displays, a mini canvas exhibit, and a youth art exhibit will again take place at the Perry Public Library.
“We are so excited that the festival is right around the corner,” Art on the Prairie Board Member Lynsi Pasutti explains. “So much goes on behind the scenes to create this unique event with so many different layers. Visual art is obviously the main feature in each of the historic buildings, but the addition of acoustic music adds to the ambiance. We have special activities to commemorate the 15th year this year which will be fun for all ages. Plus, Poetry on the Prairie is a mini-festival – in and of itself – which will be held in the Community Room of the Perry Public Library.”
Poetry on the Prairie will again be featured in its own venue with a full schedule of activities throughout the weekend, including a poetry readings by some of Iowa’s leading poets, poetry slam and open mic opportunities for poetry lovers, and workshops for aspiring poets. Poetry on the Prairie will feature fourteen Iowa Poets, as well as Lyrical Iowa Winning Poets. A complete list of Saturday and Sunday activities can be found at poetryamp.org along with poet bios.
To commemorate the 15th annual festival, the Art on the Prairie committee collaborated with Stanhope, Iowa artist Jill Sneed to create a limited-edition linocut print depicting the iconic prairie paint brushes that have adorned the festival since its inception. Just 15 prints will be available for purchase along with other Art on the Prairie merchandise to celebrate and support Art on the Prairie. Festival-goers can experience the magic of multi-layer printing with a multi-station hands-on activity to create their own mini version of the 15th Anniversary linocut print. Stations will be at Security Bank Building, Carnegie Library Museum, Myrtle Building, Common Wealth Provisions, and The Cellar of La Poste.
Additionally, a Mural Dedication for Perry’s newest mural will take place during the festival on Sunday, November 9th at 1pm at 1221 1st Avenue. To commemorate the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corp (1775-2025) and honor the legacy of all veterans, VFW Floyd Foster Post 2060 has lead a community mural project depicting the iconic flag raising at Iowa Jima during World War II. The mural, painted by Slater, Iowa artist Shawn Palek, will serve as a lasting public tribute to the honor, courage, and commitment of the U.S. Marine Corps and all who have worn the nation’s uniform. The mural is located near the Raccoon River Valley Trailhead at Caboose Park and will feature a real American flag mounted above it, raised for the first time during the Dedication Ceremony.
Art on the Prairie is free to the public and facilitated by a dedicated volunteer team, coordinated with a number of community partners. The Art on the Prairie organization wishes to thank all those that have supported the event in any way over the years – from countless volunteer hours to financial support of all sizes. Special thanks to those that have committed significant support to make this year’s festival a success, especially Raccoon Valley Bank, MidAmerican Energy, Perry Hospitality Inc, Hotel Pattee, La Poste, Rainbow Restoration, City of Perry, Perry Public Library, Iowa Poetry Association, Poetry Palooza, Beaverdale Books, Dan & Sally Spellman, Eric & Betsy Peterson, and The Proletariat.
A full schedule of activities during the 15th Annual Art on the Prairie Festival as well as detailed information regarding artists, musicians, poets and activities are available at www.ArtonthePrairie.org and the Art on the Prairie Facebook page www.Facebook.com/ArtonthePrairie.
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