Twin Rivers Arts Festival

05/26/2026

CITYART IN THE ALLEY
Presented by Gene Biewen and Noel Van Tol

While Belgrade Avenue is under construction, CityArt is reimagining how art shows up in Lower North Mankato. Join us for the first CityArt in the Alley event of summer 2026 — a creative alleyway activation filled with hands-on art, live music, public art experiences and community connection.

📍 Alley behind NaKato Bar & Grill
📅 Saturday, 5.30.26
⏰ 10 am – 2 pm

FEATURED ACTIVITIES:
- Mexican Folk Art Exploration with Cartonería-style cardboard sculpting by Justin Ek + Creation Stations by the Minnesota Latino Museum
- Live Painting by Noel Van Tol
- Sculpture Make & Take + Community Sculpture Build by sidetracked
- Spin & Sculpt Creation Station
- Live Music by Indigo Moon from 11 am – 2 pm
- Alleyway Enhancement Paintings by Tice Vanderheiden + Melanie Klimpel
- CityArt in the Alley Community Mural Artist Reveal at 10:45 am
- Beans Coffee Company Creation Station

This event is supported in part by the Downtown Mankato/North Mankato of Greater Mankato Growth.

Come explore, create and celebrate art in unexpected places this summer with CityArt. Learn more at www.cityartmankato.com

CityArt is a program of Twin Rivers Council for the Arts.

05/01/2026

CALLING ALL CREATIVES!

Applications are now open for the 2026 Twin Rivers Arts Festival!

Nov. 28 & 29, 2026 at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, MN.
Apply by 7.15.26 and receive a discount on your booth fee.
www.twinriversartsfestival.com/artists/

Do you have a favorite artist or author you'd like to see at the Twin Rivers Fine Arts Festival? Please reach out and invite them to apply!

02/10/2026

We hope to see you tonight at Rooms and Rest Furniture and Mattress where we are featuring artist Mark Silverberg​ at our Creative Connections art activation!

Stop by to see art in action and learn how ​R​ooms and Rest supports local artists and helps build community connections through creativity.

Tuesday, ​2​.10.26, 5:30-​6:​30 pm
1760 Madison Ave, Mankato, MN 56001


www.twinriversarts.org

11/29/2025

The Festival is open!

Two days of shopping local with all of your favorite artists, authors, and makers! Plus, our Ellerbe Room Stage features live performances all weekend with room to sit, listen, relax and enjoy.

Open today until 6:00 pm
Tomorrow from 10 am-4 pm
Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center
https://twinriversartsfestival.com/

The Twin Rivers Arts Festival (formerly the GSR Fine Art Festival) is an annual, free event. We are Greater Mankato’s only juried art festival dedicated to serving professional artists, authors, and those working towards that goal, by connecting them with the Greater Mankato community.

The Twin Rivers Arts Festival is presented by the Marian Anderson Fund of the Mankato Area Foundation.

11/25/2025

11/20/2025

Thank you to our Gold Sponsors ISG and Tom Bliese's Family. Without support from donors like you, our festival would not be possible. We appreciate your investment.

Visit the Twin Rivers Arts Festival over Thanksgiving weekend.

Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 from 10 am-6 pm
Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025 from 10 am-4 pm
Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center

https://twinriversartsfestival.com/

11/19/2025

Sponsors: saturday, november 29, 2025 2025 Shop downtown Small Business Saturday Event Downtown Partnership of Mankato/North Mankato is thrilled to bring back a Small Business Saturday event, now with a fresh new name: Shop Downtown! Our theme, “Local Looks Good on You,” celebrates the unique...

11/18/2025

60+​ artists and authors. Endless inspiration.
See who’s joining us at this year’s Twin Rivers Arts Festival and get a sneak peek at the creative works waiting for you.

Artist and author list now live at www.twinriversartsfestival.com!

Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 from 10 am-6 pm
Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025 from 10 am-4 pm
Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center

The Twin Rivers Arts Festival is presented by the Marian Anderson Fund of the Mankato Area Foundation.

This project is partially funded by the City of Mankato, Minnesota Government Neighborhood Engagement Grant program.

11/15/2025

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor—the Marian Anderson Fund of the Mankato Area Foundation—for helping to make the Twin Rivers Arts Festival possible and supporting the arts in our community.

Twin Rivers Arts Festival
Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 from 10 am-6 pm
Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025 from 10 am-4 pm
Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center
www.twinriversartsfestival.com

About Marian's Fund:
Local artist, Marian Anderson, has been a household name for decades. Her lifetime of work in the Mankato area enriched all our lives. Her paintings adorn the walls of homes and businesses throughout our communities, and her dedication to arts education was demonstrated through the many school-workshop visits she made, and the countless young lives she touched. She dedicated her life to giving back to this area she called home. Years ago, Marian made the decision to continue her philanthropic spirit well beyond her lifetime by designating the Mankato Area Foundation as a beneficiary of her estate in order to establish a fund that celebrates her dedication to this region and her devotion to the arts.

Marian’s charitable legacy is now realized through the Marian Anderson Fund of the Mankato Area Foundation, which concentrates its granting in Blue Earth County and the City of North Mankato, Minnesota The emphasis of the fund is promoting arts and aesthetics while focusing on the visual arts and history. Through this ongoing activity, Marian Anderson will continue to enrich our community and our lives.

Learn more about Marian at https://tinyurl.com/525rjx5w

11/13/2025

CONNECTING WITH ARTSATURDAY, NOV. 29, 2025 10 AM-6 PMSUNDAY, NOV. 30, 2025 10 AM-4 PMMAYO CLINIC HEALTH SYSTEM EVENT CENTER MANKATO, MN For the past 23 years, the Twin Rivers Arts Festival (formerly the GSR Fine Arts Festival) has been giving buyers the opportunity to interact with professional arti...

09/12/2025

CONNECTING WITH ARTFor the past 23 years, the Twin Rivers Arts Festival (formerly the GSR Fine Arts Festival) has been giving buyers the opportunity to interact with professional artists working in a multiplicity of mediums as well as find unique goods and gifts that are handmade. CONNECTING WITH AR...