BELLEVILLE – The beloved Belleville Art on the Square foundation and festival has two new co-directors.
The Art on the Square organization announced that Rebecca Boyer and Karl Gilpin will step into the roles previously held by Carol Bartle and Stephanie Dorris. The two new directors will see the organization through its 2025 festival on May 16–18, 2025.
“It is exciting,” Boyer said. “Karl and I know there’s a lot that needs to be done, but we have a great team. They’re able and willing to help us pull this off.”
Gilpin shared that Art on the Square was in a “precarious situation.” It was unclear whether the festival would happen in 2025.
He encouraged Boyer to take on the director role. When she said she was too busy for the position, they agreed to come on as co-directors and collaborate to make the festival a success.
“We started talking about it. I was like, well, we can’t let this thing die,” Gilpin said. “This is a nationally-ranked art show. We were number nine in the nation last year. It’s a big deal for both the community and artists. The amount of tourist dollars that come into town from St. Louis and the whole region spending money at restaurants and stuff — this is the biggest single event Belleville puts on. It makes no sense to let it fall apart.”
Gilpin and Boyer promise “a really fun event” next May. Art on the Square invites approximately 100 artists from across the country to showcase their work in Belleville. They see over 60,000 visitors each year. Proceeds from the show go toward promoting the arts in the community.
Boyer and Gilpin believe this will be “the best year ever,” and they are excited to share their passion for Art on the Square with Belleville and surrounding communities. They are looking for volunteers to help make the event a success; you can find out more at the official Art on the Square Facebook page.
“I have never lived anywhere where there’s so much community pride and volunteer spirit as here,” Gilpin added. “It’s pretty impressive. It’s not like we’re doing it in the void. The community always steps up. It was Becca’s and my turn to step up to keep this thing going.”
For more information about Art on the Square, visit their official website at ArtOnTheSquare.com.
