Belleville’s Art on the Square has two new features

Art on the Square fans have two new ways to enjoy this year’s show held May 13-15.

You can now vote for the first-ever People’s Choice Award and in honor of the 15th anniversary of the show, the artist with the most votes will receive a $1,500 award courtesy of an Ameren Illinois sponsorship. Go to artonthesquare.com and click on the People’s Choice icon to view work by the artists and vote for your favorite artist.

There’s no purchase necessary to vote. You can only vote one time for an artist but you can select multiple artists to support. The voting will end on the afternoon of Saturday, May 14 and the winner will be announced on May 15.

Also this year, anyone who purchases Art Cash gift certificates through 3 p.m. Thursday, May 12 will receive an entry into a drawing for $1,000 in additional Art Cash to use during the weekend festival on downtown’s Public Square.

“This is an extra perk for people who buy Art Cash,” said Patty Gregory, executive director of Art on the Square.

Art Cash is sold in $50 increments on the group’s website and you can get an entry into the drawing for each $50 increment you purchase. The drawing will be on May 12, and the winner will be announced that day on artonthesquare.com.

“I’m not so sure people realize how important it is to buy Art Cash if they are someone who goes to the fair, or have friends that go because it helps with our rankings since the rankings are based on sales,” Gregory said. “The more Art Cash that we sell, the better chances we have for a higher ranking.”

Earlier this year, Art on the Square was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Art Fair SourceBook based on sales reported by the artists at last year’s show. This was the fifth time the Belleville art festival earned the No. 1 ranking.

Gregory said the purchases contribute to the festival’s economic impact on the region. Last fall, Art on the Square reported the show boosts the area’s economy by $2.1 million.

“The people of Belleville and the surrounding areas have always been very supportive of our Art Cash program,” Gregory said.

She suggests art patrons use Art Cash as gifts this spring for Mother’s Day, weddings and graduations.

People who purchase $300 in Art Cash receive two invitations to the Art Cash party, two tickets to the poster preview reception and two tickets to the opening night reception on May 13.

“We’re going to make one artist very happy and one Art Cash patron very happy,” Gregory said of this year’s two new features.

This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Belleville’s Art on the Square has two new features."