After Art on The Square, works could go to new Belleville gallery

Art on the Square comes and goes, but what happens after the street fair closes?

When the party is over, many artists still need a place to display their work. That’s where Mark and Lisa Hamilton will come in this year.

The Belleville couple has a passion for art and the artists who pour their hearts into each piece. Now — after years of admiration — their love of art will be on display year-round at a gallery in downtown Belleville.

A grand opening for Hamilton Gallerie d’Art is at noon Saturday at 8 S. Church St. — coinciding with Art on The Square. The public is invited to check out the space that will feature art from around the world.

The gallery will feature handmade jewelery, too.

“It takes a load off of the artists themselves to know that someone else is taking very good care of their artwork and doing their best to promote them,” Lisa Hamilton said.

From South Africa and England to Florida and Oregon, Hamilton Gallerie d’Art could soon become a destination for art. The 650-square-foot gallery will also showcase the work of local artists, the Hamiltons said.

Artists chosen for the gallery will not be charged for wall space. Free rent won’t cost the consumers either. Admission to the gallery will be free, too.

The couple wants to keep the gallery going by selling art. Not charging artists to display their work will force the Hamiltons to work harder for their clients.

That’s the way they want it. The couple wants art in the gallery to end up in homes around the world.

Lisa Hamilton, a piano teacher, said she grew up around art.

“I actually learned to appreciate the artist before I ever even saw their work,” Lisa Hamilton said. “I think that’s very important to the consumer out there.”

The artist who inspired the Hamiltons to open their gallery goes by the name of Nisus. They love her story and her work. She eventually contacted the couple and asked if they would represent her as agents.

Her work has been shown around the world. In the Hamiltons’ gallery, the work of Nisus takes up a brick wall. The couple hopes the metro-east will fall in love with her work as well.

Local artists whose works are displayed include Michelle Smith, former owner of the Shiloh Art Studio.

“I now consider myself an intuitive artist, an emotional painter,” Smith said in her short biography for the art gallery. “Art has always been a way of escape, and therapy for me.”

Smith’s areas of focus are in abstract art. She often paints eyes, boats and angels. There’s a wide range of art on display in Hamilton Gallerie d’Art.

The couple plans to keep the gallery open six days a week from noon to 6 p.m. The gallery will be closed Tuesdays.

Hamilton Gallerie d’Art is looking for artists of every style, including sculptors, worldwide. Interested? Send an email to hamiltongallery2017@gmail.com with samples of your work.

This story was originally published May 18, 2017 at 4:04 PM with the headline "After Art on The Square, works could go to new Belleville gallery."