Meet the Monfest team

Brief interviews with the people making the magic happen

Applications for vendors are officially closed and we now enter into the era of the Festival planning where we move into full time production phase!

As that new era loads, we're excited to bring you into our community with some deeper dives into the people behind the scenes making this festival shine all year long. We'll share some brief interviews with our team, and the musicians and select artist/vendors as we prepare for this year's festival.

As always we're going to kick off the fun with our Founder and visionary Festival Director Siriaco Garcia, known by his artist moniker Siricasso, and by friends and fam alike as Siri.

Your interviewer is none other than our Storytelling & Operations Director KCF. We hope that you enjoy these get to know you questions and images brought to you by the core team movers and shakers who make the festival possible, year after year.

siri, tell us about what is your favorite part about being involved with MONfest?

My favorite part about being involved with MONfest is creating a space where artists can truly be themselves. It’s powerful to challenge and break stereotypes about rural areas, and to show people that creativity thrives here.

As for our name, the idea of “Now” is especially meaningful to me, transforming what some might see as “nowhere” into NOW here.

This year we launched a refined mission statement and values. I'm interested in hearing about how you live our Monfest values?

I live the MONfest values through my strong commitment to community, which is at the heart of my practice.

I love creating opportunities for others to get involved! Whether that’s inviting someone to help create art or giving students a chance to participate in the mural making process.

There’s something really powerful about that sense of ownership, when people feel included and become part of the creative journey.
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The Artist Teacher Siri is passionate about community, teaching and empowering others to tap into their creativity.

Muralist When not running MONfest you can probably find Siri on a wall somewhere painting a mural!

When you're not organizing MONfest what kind of artistry are you doing?

I am a Chicano artist based in Huxley, Iowa. I love the power of storytelling, community, and culture.

As a muralist, my work is bold and vibrant figures outlined in thick black lines set against saturated color, each piece rooted in personal and collective narratives.

I’ve painted over 60 murals across Central Iowa, collaborating closely with communities to reflect their identities and histories.

Beyond murals, I’m a screenprinter, organizer, teacher, and father. I love my family a lot!

I create to connect, empower, and make space for stories that deserve to be seen and shared.
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Why do you think gathering in community is so important right now?
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Gathering in community feels especially important right now because it creates space for connection and joy. Definitely things we all need more of.

It reminds us we’re not alone and gives people a chance to show up and celebrate together.

I’m definitely hyped for the music, art, and games, but I’m especially excited for the mural maze leading into the corn maze! That’s such a unique experience.

I can’t wait to see everything come together at this year’s MONfest.

Follow Siri on IG and the like and on TikTok​

As we prepare behind the scenes for our July event, I hope you'll take some time to get to know the team who is so excited for what is unfolding.

And for our new subscribers - welcome! As always we aim to keep you informed but not overwhelmed. We try to keep emails to once a week until a month out from the festival where you can plan to hear from us twice a week.

In rural we vibe,

-KCF