Fairfield's 1st Fridays Art Walk was started by Stacey Hurlin, founder of the non-profit ArtLife Society, as a manifestation of her desire to create a more interactive event within Fairfield's arts community and for the general public, especially visiting guests to our unique town of just under 10,000.

Stacey started it all...A FunFest Gallery Walk in August 2002 inspired Hurlin and the Fairfield arts community to begin the monthly 1st Fridays Art Walk in October 2002. It has run every month since then, becoming larger, more diverse and creative, and more populously attended with each passing year.

The event has been so successful that in May of 2004, 1st Fridays Art Walk formed a Board of Directors to insure it's sustainability over time.

In October 2005, 1st Fridays Art Walk was named the Outstanding Tourism Event of the Year by the Iowa Tourism Office and the Travel Federation of America.