Wood Art Festival

Wood (Grant) Art Festival

Second Sunday in JuneAmerican artist Grant Wood (1892-1942) is best known for his painting, American Gothic, of a dour-looking farmer holding a pitchfork as he stands with his daughter in front of their 19th-century Gothic revival farmhouse. The annual Grant Wood Art Festival in Stone City-Anamosa, Iowa, celebrates the area's heritage as "Grant Wood Country" with juried art exhibits, children's and adults' "Art Happenings," dramatic and musical presentations, and guided bus tours of Stone City.
Born in Anamosa, Wood traveled to Europe several times, where he was exposed to Flemish and German primitive art. But he eventually returned to Iowa to paint the scenes he knew best in the clean-cut, realistic style for which he became famous. He established an art colony in the Stone City valley in 1932-33, and replicas of the colorful ice wagons used as housing by the students and instructors serve as a backdrop for the exhibits of contemporary artists during the festival.
The original American Gothic —one of the most widely parodied paintings in the world—is on display at the Chicago Art Institute.
CONTACTS:
Grant Wood Art Festival Inc.
124 E. Main St.
Anamosa, IA 52205
800-280-0773 or 319-462-4267