The Austin ArtWorks Festival is a free two-day event in Austin, Minnesota, held annually each August since 2012. It attracts an estimated 8,000 people from throughout Minnesota and beyond, and is beloved by the residents, community partners, and local businesses in Austin. Organized by Austin Area Arts, this event is a celebration of visual, performing, and literary artists. The Festival features over 75 visual artists each year who set up their tents in the park to sell their original handmade work. These artists – painters, jewelers, potters, woodworkers, fiber artists, and more – are selected through a competitive jury process, making this one of the best art fairs in Minnesota!
Art fairs are an incredible way for the public to interact with artists and provide direct support by purchasing their work, but preparing for these events takes a lot of work, time, and resources that many younger artists do not have and cannot afford. This is especially true for artists from marginalized communities. Recognizing this, Austin Area Arts launched an Emerging Artists Program in 2023 to provide these younger artists with the opportunity to participate in the Festival and with the hope that they would gain the necessary tools to pursue similar opportunities in the future. Austin Area Arts’s co-executive director Kelsey Ritchie wrote, “The Emerging Artists Program is an incredibly important part of what we do at the ArtWorks Festival. It gives less experienced artists the opportunity to gain real knowledge and hands-on experience in a supportive environment.”
Through this program, which was made possible in part with grants from SEMAC in 2023, 2024, 2025, and again this coming year, participating artists work with a mentor, receive a stipend they can use for supplies or any other expenses that will help them create work to sell at the Festival, their booth fee is waived, they are provided with housing for the weekend, and are given space to exhibit together in a group tent.
The program is making a difference! Participants in 2025 reported having gained crucial skills to help their future pursuits, including how to price their artwork, traveling with art, applying to other programs, networking, and how to talk to customers. Kelsey writes, “One of the most rewarding aspects is seeing these emerging artists learn from others who have been practicing their craft for decades. It creates a meaningful exchange of ideas, mentorship, and inspiration that strengthens our entire artistic community.”
All eight of the participating artists in 2025 said they would not have participated without the financial and mentoring support provided through this program, and they all reported that taking part boosted their confidence overall as artists. Jasper Slichter, one of the participating artists that year, wrote about the experience, “A highlight of participating in the ArtWorks Festival this weekend was being a part of the Emerging Artists Program. I would not be here without it. Meeting other artists was a blast and I got so many tips from experienced professionals.”
There have been some amazing unexpected outcomes of this program as well, including the ongoing relationships many of the participating artists have with Austin Area Arts. Kelsey writes, “It’s been especially exciting to see the program come full circle, with an emerging artist from 2024 returning to apply as an exhibiting artist in 2025. That kind of growth really speaks to the impact of the program. We’ve also been able to build lasting relationships with participating artists, even inviting some to showcase their work in the ArtWorks Center’s gallery and retail spaces, creating ongoing opportunities that extend well beyond the initial experience.”
Another great example of how the program has developed connections between these young artists and Austin Area Arts to provide opportunities for them to advance their artistic careers is that ARK, a program participant in 2023, served as the mentor for the Emerging Artists Program in 2024 and 2025. There will be a new mentor in 2026 who will be selected from the participants from previous years, demonstrating Austin Area Arts’s strong ongoing commitment to supporting young artists from marginalized communities and ensuring that we all benefit from their creativity.