Drawing artists from every continent, the festival takes place over the course of a weekend in the downtown area.
That kind of ambition is what draws artists to the city, to the galleries and to each others' studios.
"There is something about the landscape in and around Cold Spring, which seems to draw artists to this area."
A hit like Stevie Wonder's has the effect of drawing other artists.
By 1991, the festival was drawing large crowds and important artists and sitting on $1.5 million in the bank.
In 2010 the event was expanded to draw artists from around the world and it added an additional day and a half.
This is the bait that draws business people, journalists and artists here: the possibility of discovery.
Provocative cases draw artists to these issues for creative reasons as well as personal ones.
At the same time, she has introduced programs to draw teenagers, local artists and members of Minneapolis's booming immigrant population.
The world's largest bodypainting festival has been held annually since 1998 and this year drew artists from 40 different nations.