Art on the Square’s Best of Show, other award winners announced
Art on the Square’s 2023 Best of Show winner is a sculptor from Texas.
Each year, artists from the fine arts show in downtown Belleville enter their work for evaluation by a panel of judges for monetary awards.
Seth Vandable, of Cedar Hill, Texas, earned $5,000 and an invitation to attend the event again in 2024 as part of his Best of Show win.
Here are the other 2023 winners:
Best of Category awards ($1,500) —
- Timothy Sullivan, ceramics.
- John Leben, digital/graphic design.
- Emily Luyk, drawing/printmaking.
- Janvier Ngamije, fine craft.
- Tony Cray, glass. He earned an invitation to the 2024 event.
- Tana Acton, jewelry. She earned an invitation to the 2024 event.
- YanFang Inlow, mixed media.
- ZL Feng, painting.
- Steve & Rita Lohr, photography.
- Loura Dobbs, sculpture.
- Sue Mersman, wood.
Awards of Excellence ($500) —
- Paul Miller, wood.
- Brianna Martray, drawing/printmaking.
- Sheko Kirby and Sarkis Chouljian, jewelry.
- Charles Gatewood, painting.
- Nolan Prohaska, glass.
- Julie Latayan, ceramics.
- Toby Skov, photography.
- Casey and Deborah Bridges, sculpture.
Barb King Jewelry award ($500) — Clare Johnston.
Edward and Helen Karasek purchase award ($1,500) — Susan Rogers, mixed media.
Joan Voss Renner purchase award ($1,500) — J. David Norton, glass.
Art on the Square Committee purchase award ($1,000) — Seth Vandable.
This year’s judges included:
- Nicole Shanks who has experience in photography, ceramics and fiber media. She has a studio in Belleville called Weave and Wobble.
- Tori Sacco who has experience in graphic design, sewing, stained glass, charcoal and ceramics. She ran the design and print studio Paperkeet in St. Louis from 2009 to 2020.
- Nicole Dutton who has experience in painting. She has worked as associate director of Chesterfield Arts, curator for the Schmidt Art Center at Southwestern Illinois College, art team manager for a commercial interior design firm and director at Third Degree Glass Factory in St. Louis.
