Belleville’s 2023 Art on the Square: ‘This year’s show is going to be something!’
Spring is finally here and it’s that time of year when we uncurl from our ball of winter and come alive again. Flowers start popping, trees start blooming and we feel that need to get moving. For Art on the Square committee members, spring creates a checklist of items to move from the “to do” list to the “to done” list. This is because art is the buzz.
We know this feeling better than anyone. We are the current co-directors of Art on the Square. After Patty Gregory, the founder and Director of Art on the Square, became Belleville’s mayor, we volunteered to fill the void and have worked together to produce the 2021 and 2022 shows. This was no small job. Art on the Square 2023 began the week after Art on the Square 2022 ended. AOTS is operated entirely by volunteers from the community. Our job is made easy by the volunteer efforts of committee heads who have been with the show for years and know their part.
It is the community volunteers along with the area businesses that sponsor the show that make this event all come together. And this year’s show is going to be something! Creative Director William Mathis is using the entry platform Zapp employed for the 2022 show that was more user friendly to the artist. This has resulted in almost 500 artists applying from 39 different states. The artists are selected by a panel of six jurors who use a point system. The jury is composed of art professors, gallery/museum curators and art specialists. This resulted in 53 new artists being invited to the show this year. A total of 102 artists from 33 states in 11 categories were chosen for this year’s show.
In addition to volunteering or sponsoring the show, community members can show their support by buying Art Cash. Art Cash purchases act as a pledge of community support to the artist by guaranteeing that a certain amount of art will be purchased. Art Cash sells in increments of $50 and makes a great Mother’s Day, wedding or graduation present. There are special benefits for purchasers of $300 or more. It has not been uncommon for Art Cash sales to exceed $100,000, and we would like to see the show achieve that level again.
Yes, there is a buzz in the air. Soon you’ll be getting out of your hive to walk from booth to booth discovering art that will brighten and enhance your life. Soon you’ll be on the Square meeting with old friends and coming alive again. This is because art is the buzz.