BELLEVILLE — The Art on the Square Foundation announced Wednesday they have received the distinction of being second in the nation for Fine Art Shows in 2013. Art on the Square has received the distinguished honor of being named in the top five Art Shows in the Nation by Art Fair SourceBook for the last eight years.

The La Quinta Arts Festival in La Quinta, Calif., was ranked the No. 1 art festival in the nation.

This ranking is determined by the average sales of each artist and the 2012 Art on the Square brought in $1,155,525 with an average net of $10,025 per each of the 105 artists showing. This despite three days of temperatures surpassing 100 degrees.

Patty Gregory, executive director of Art on the Square, said a significantly larger amount of Art Cash sales, in excess of $117,000 prior to the event, aided in the amount of sales that may have been lost due to the weather.

Greg Lawler, editor and publisher of the Art Fair Source Book, released the following statement: "Since 2007, Art on the Square has achieved the No. 1 fine art ranking nationwide in four of the past six years, and the No. 2 fine art ranking the other two years. This is a record that has never been matched by any event in the 20 years since the SourceBook began rating and ranking art fairs. It is nothing short of amazing."

Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert described Art on the Square as a "phenomenal success" the last 11 years.

"Each year, it continues to yield outstanding dividends, because so many people care about it and believe it," Eckert said. "For us to be No. 2 in the nation, that's no small task, and I applaud every volunteer on every level."

This year's Art on the Square will be held May 17 through 19 in downtown Belleville. The event showcases the work of 105 artists chosen to participate through a jurying process. About 1,000 artists apply each year to be part of the art festival.

Contact reporter Jamie Forsythe at 239-2562 or jforsythe1@bnd.com.