Founded in 1992 and held the third Saturday of each May, the Marion Arts Festival offers art of exceptional quality, dishing up a singular and highly anticipated event.  Consistently ranked in the top tier of fine art events nationwide, the MAF has been named as being among the Top 25 festivals in the country, as the #1 show featuring 100 artists or fewer and, further, as the best one-day event in the nation.




The Empty Bowls Project involves more than 500 area students through the creation of over 1,000 ceramic bowls, which are then donated to the festival and sold day-of to raise funds for area food banks.

Our annual Art in the Depot activity finds attendees of all ages contributing hands-on toward the creation of ceramics to be sold as "Empty Bowls" the following year.

Our Emerging Artists Program showcases the talents of young artists, who have been mentored to sell their work alongside the festival's slate of juried exhibitors.

The MAF Half Marathon and 5K Run & Fun Walk takes a flat, fast course through uptown Marion, inviting runners to experience cutting edge race technology features.

Add in a slate of specialty foods and off-beat artist demonstrations.  In total, the festival offers a high caliber, fully accessible cultural experience – a day of fine art and flip flops, families and connoisseurs, fun and education.

The Marion Arts Festival deeply appreciates community and corporate sponsorships toward the event, and we treasure the individual volunteer support that goes into making each festival.