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I can't say enough good things about this terrific art fair! It takes place in a small town in southern Illinois only a few miles from St. Louis. I have no idea how they do it, but they bring people out to the show in droves, and they all seem to have money in their pockets to spend on art. But first a couple of qualifications. Not every artist did well at this show. Our neighbor, a very talented painter, was very disappointed. I am a digital artist selling limited edition prints. Could be that the lower price tags of my work attracted more buyers. And a second qualification: My sales this year were down 50% from last year. But, even so, my sales this year were more than double the sales of my average art fair (last year sales were triple the average!).

Here's some of the things I like. Set up was leisurely and easy. We drove to Belleville from Saugatuck, Michigan (a 7 hour drive) on Thursday. The weather forecast was gloomy with 80-100% prediction of rain and storms on Friday and Saturday. We decided to get the tent set up on Thursday evening when it was predicted to be dry. We registered and drove our van into the Square (the show is set up around a fountain and the streets radiating out from the square). We were able to leave our van right next to the booth for the entire setup. I like that, not to have to unload everything and move the van. Although tired after that long drive, we got the tent and propanels up, but decided to wait until Friday to hang the art because of the prediction of storms.

It did storm Thursday night taking out some tents, but ours was unharmed. On Friday the show was scheduled to open at five and run until 10pm, so we had all day to hang the art. And somehow, we used the whole day. Not sure why that is, but the setup always eats up all the time that there is. If there is a 2 hour window to setup, it takes two hours. If there is a 6 hour window, it takes 6 hours. Go figure.

The rain conveniently stopped on Friday morning and held off for the duration. People came out on Friday and our sales were brisk. On Saturday night, it stormed again, but Saturday, while the show was open, it stayed dry. Saturday night, more rain, but Sunday was dry and pleasantly cool. I don't know how Patty and here committee did it, but they had the weatherman on their side. They turned a bleak forecast into good weather, scheduling the rain only during the off hours. 

Saturday sales were good again, and so was Sunday. And to top it off, I won an award for best of category (digital), a generous $1500. I won the same award last year. As I understand it, the large award pool is an annual donation by a local anonymous patron; one of the reasons Belleville attracts such good artists.

Here's another thing they do right in Belleville. They sell advance "art bucks" to locals, and that total, before the show even opened, was a whopping $115,000. And here's yet another thing they do that I like. They give grants of $1500 each to four local elementary schools to buy art at the art fair for their schools. The art is chosen by students from the schools. My work appeals to a wide range of people, including kids, so I sold work to two schools this year. Last year I sold work to three schools. Its a terrific program.

And yet another thing I like. I gained three pounds at this art fair. They constantly feed you. Lunches every day are brought to your booth for both me and Marcia. And in the artist hospitality area, there is also a generous buffet of stuff to eat and drink. And, did I mention the champagne breakfast on Sunday? Yep... champagne. And a great buffet too. 

Finally, at the end of the show break down was easy and uneventful. We were able to bring our van in and load up at our leisure. The show wisely lets the artists negotiate among themselves about fitting the vehicles into the spaces closest to their booths. We packed up and had a nice celebratory dinner on Sunday evening, toasting this incredible art fair and a community that truly supports the arts. We had a special toast to Patty, the force behind the Belleville Art on the Square.

This is a tough show to get in to and I feel fortunate to have been invited two years in a row. Unlike most shows, award winners are not automatically invited the next year, so, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope for an invitation next year as well.