COURTESY OF ART ON THE SQUARE
This weekend, head to Belleville for some world-class art and three days of fun. The 15th Annual Art on the Square takes over Veterans Memorial Fountain in Belleville, Illinois. The juried fair will include art, food, music, and activities for kids.
This year, 105 artists working in 12 different mediums are participating in the show, coming from all over the U.S., Canada, and Belgium. The group includes old favorites and new contenders.
“We have a number of new artists and crowd favorites that haven’t been here in several years," says executive director Patty Gregory. "Wwe’re very excited that people will have the opportunity to see how their work has evolved over the years.”
Competition is fierce to get into the juried show, consistently ranked among the nation’s top 10 fairs by Art Fair Source Book. The works are selected by a jury that includes academics, docents and curators, gallery owners, and working artists. “We usually have between 800 to 1,000 [artists] apply for the 105 spots,” Gregory says.
Your budding Picasso can tap into her inner genius at a make-and-take art area for kids. The Saint Louis Zoo will be on hand with Monarch butterflies, an eternal kid-pleaser.
Adults can enjoy jazz in the Wine Court, as well as a variety of music and food at the main stage.
Unique to Art on the Square is the Living With Art: Interior Design Stage, built to look like a living room right down to the crown molding. Design experts and celebrity tastemakers will be on hand to answer the big question everyone asks after buying art: Now what? How can you maximize the impact of the art while integrating it into your existing décor?
On Saturday, Meg Caswell from HGTV's Meg’s Great Rooms will be on hand. She’ll give demos and take questions at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. Caswell’s ideas will incorporate art selected from the fair’s offerings.
Then, on Sunday at noon, Fox 2 News in the Morning co-anchor (and Belleville resident) John Pertzborn will share the insights he’s gained through the course of his own interest in architecture and maintaining his own home. Broadcaster Carol Daniels will speak at 1:15 p.m. Finally, at 2 p.m., Y98 host/producer (and 2011 A-List winner) Courtney Landrum will share her contemporary design aesthetic in contrast with the more classic preferences of her mother, Karen Landrum.
“We wanted to do something to attract people from the Missouri side of the river,” Gregory says. "We’re really happy with the support we’ve received from the St. Louis area."
Beyond the weekend’s festivities, the organization does outreach in Belleville year-round, including buying and installing sculpture around the city, facilitating sculpture classes for high schools, providing artist residencies, and hosting a new program in which sixth graders from four area schools will buy artworks for their schools.
Art on the Square runs 5–10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
