FMAAA NEWS

FMAAA has to cancel September festival

Illner Greene steps in to lead artists group in transition period

Posted Sunday, August 17, 2025 9:41 am

PCC Staff

FORT MADISON - The planned Riverfront Art Festival in Fort Madison that was set for September has been cancelled according to information from the Fort Madison Area Arts Association.
"With sincere regret, we are announcing the cancellation of the Riverfront Art Festival, scheduled for Sunday September 14. Vendors and artists will receive a full refund of fees.

This decision was not made lightly. Due to unforeseen organizational changes—including the recent resignation of our most recent Director—we are currently undergoing a transition period. As we work to ensure a smooth leadership change and the continued integrity of our programming, we felt it would not be possible to host the event to the standard that our artists, community partners, and indeed the wider community deserves."

Any questions regarding the cancellation may be directed to new interim director Lori Illner Greene at admin@fortmadisonart.com

Illner Greene, who resigned last December to pursue her studio arts practice, has agreed to act in this capacity through October while next steps are being evaluated. Her intentions are to further the process of developing active standing committees to handle components of what had been under the purview of the Director.
This process was put into action last year just before her departure and is still developing. The goal is to foster an effective working methodology among the administrator and the committees to provide quality programming within available resources.

The key mission at the FMAAA Art Center remains to - support artists, provide opportunities to engage with the arts, and introduce both youth and adults to the benefits of creative experiences.

Illner Greene will be engaged in the coming months with helping to support our volunteers and oversee the business aspects of the association and art center. She will provide leadership to help achieve a stable structure while a search for someone to fill the permanent position is conducted.
She said the artist group remains commited to supporting the work of area artists.

"We understand the time and preparation that goes into participating in an event like this. We deeply appreciate the commitment to the arts and to our local creative community by those who had been partnering with us to develop this expanded arts event for Fort Madison. Please know that we remain dedicated to supporting artists and providing opportunity for our community to engage with the arts in its many forms. We will keep you informed of any future opportunities once operations stabilize.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation may cause to our artists and other participants, and thank our Fort Madison community for their understanding, patience, and continued support during this time of transition."