Art on the Square will add competition and tent for metro-east artists
Belleville has always taken pride in being able to attract renowned artists from other states and countries for its annual Art on the Square juried competition and art fair.
Now organizers want to “highlight and elevate” the work of metro-east artists as well, according to Co-Director Rebecca Boyer.
“I think Art on the Square has always been criticized for bringing in people from all over the world, but we don’t feature local artists who are also very talented,” she said.
To address this issue, organizers have established a Local Artist Competition separate from the main competition. Three winners will have their own tent to display and sell artwork.
This year’s Art on the Square will be held Friday through Sunday, May 15-17, in downtown Belleville. The artist line-up hasn’t been announced yet. The art fair generally features about 100 artist tents, plus food booths, music and other activities.
Boyer and Co-Director Karl Gilpin took over leadership last year, but they decided to hold off on making any big changes that might interfere with a smooth transition.
The Local Artist Competition represents their effort to try something new this year.
“We’ll just see how it goes,” Boyer said.
The competition will be open to artists 18 and older who live in St. Clair, Madison, Clinton, Washington, Randolph or Monroe counties. They must submit applications and images of their original, hand-produced artwork between Feb. 1 and March 14.
Mediums can include ceramics, digital or graphic design, drawing or printmaking, fine craft, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography (digital or film), sculpture or wood textiles/fiber.
Art on the Square leaders will select 15 to 20 finalists, who will each be asked to bring one piece of artwork to a poster preview party in early April for in-person judging by those in attendance.
“Honestly, (vote-getters) may be something they would like to see in their own collections,” Boyer said.
Each of the three winners will display his or her artwork in a 10-by-10-foot Local Artist Tent for one day and in a downtown Belleville gallery or participating business the other two days of the art fair.
Organizers will post more information on the competition, including a list of rules and link to the application, on the Art on the Square Facebook page between now and Feb. 1.
