Some things are getting started with HeartlandArts.Net. Stay tuned for more about visual arts!
By Brent Stewart, The Southern
Businesses in downtown Carbondale open doors to art loversArt Around the Square – 7 to10 p.m, Friday, Carbondale Town Square.
It's fall. The humid days of the last few months are far behind us, and there isn't a better time to enjoy a walk in Southern Illinois.
So, why not take a stroll Friday night, when businesses in downtown Carbondale will open their doors for Art Around the Square, an event hosted by heartlandarts.net and the Historic Town Square Business Coalition.
Heartlandarts.net is a for-profit partnership of retail gallery owners, artists, marketers and patrons of the arts, including Amy McMorrow, owner of southernillinoisspecialties.com, a Web site project of Innucopia, LLC, in Carbondale, Sue Mills, owner of Art Lovers Trading Co., and Lauren Zadikow of The Red Ear, a new gallery space in Alto Pass.
"Basically, we just want to promote art shows and artists in the region," McMorrow said.
Mills opened Art Lovers five years ago after seeing a need in the community for an artistic outlet. In the last few years, Southern Illinois' place in the art world has seemed to expand, with more businesses offering gallery or display space. Mills feels there are more artists moving into the area, and now is the perfect time to get the different businesses and organizations on the same page in encouraging the development of this community.
It's a partnership that could be good for the artists and the town, especially downtown.
Art Around the Square is a step in that direction.
"I think people want something now, and they're getting on board," Mills said.
Although you can take whatever route you like, conceivably a person could start out at Thai Taste, which will be featuring its artist of the month, at 100 S. Illinois Ave., walk around the town square, and end up at Art Lovers at 201 E. Main St. to see its diverse collection of Southern Illinois artists.
Along the way, you'll be able to see paintings by Eileen Doman at the office of Dr. Brian McElheny, paintings by Jackie Tice and photography by Daniel Tice at Longbranch Coffeehouse, interior design at Global Gourmet, Myers Avripas mixed media designs at the Arthur Agency, paintings by Andrea LeBeau at Hair Brains, paintings by Rachel Christine Nowicki at Fusion Ultra Lounge, and photography by Susan Phillips at the Newell House Grotto. The Tree House, a new artist studio about the Town Square Market, will also be open for visitors and will exhibit the photography of Terry Hickey, an installation by Hilary Chandler and sculpture by Danielle Konings.
"If people want to have a nice meal while they're here, they can go in to one of the restaurants, eat and walk off their food," Mills said.
Mills and McMorrow are both very excited about the event, hoping it will encourage commerce in the town square area and raise the profile of local artists. They also hope it will become a regular event involving more and more participants.
"We still have a lot of things we can do with it," McMorrow said. "We're just getting started."
brent.stewart@thesouthern.com / 351-5074
