A selection of the best of Southern Illinois' art and craftwork from 850 juried Illinois artisans are on display at the Southern Illinois Artisans Shop and Art Gallery Center, located along I-57 which bisects the region. Offered to buyers are paintings, textiles, jewelry, baskets, ceramics, sculptures and more. There is also a gift shop with art-oriented offerings such as games, post cards, novelties and items of clothing.
The 15,000-square-foot marketplace offers a wide range of impressive work anyone would be proud to own. Wandering the aisles of offerings and the gallery filled with artwork is a very satisfying experience.
The marketplace plays host to a variety of events, including the Festival of Arts and Crafts for Children, artisan workshops, demonstrations, and bi-monthly receptions for the artists. Events earlier this year included an all-glass show in May and an exhibit called On the Cat Walk (continuing through Oct 31) featuring cat-themed pottery, jewelry, and paintings.
The annual Illinois Art and Wine Festival held here features wineries representating the growing Southern Illinois wine industry as well as craftsmen who sell and often demonstrate their work, from Native American-inspired pine needle baskets to amusing BBQ implements made from golf clubs.
Location
The art center is visible from the highway (the Sesser exit #77).
Parking is free, the facility is handicap-accessible. It is open daily 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Nearby Attractions
The Southern Illinois Artisans Shop and Art Center is located next to Rend Lake, Illinois' second-largest manmade lake and itself a popular destination for those who prefer that to traipsing all the way down to Kentucky Lake. There is the Rend Lake Lodge with restaurant, as well as various lakeside special events, swimming beaches, hunting, fishing, boating, a visitor's center with displays on animals, fish, and fowl found in the Rend Lake area, even fresh fish available during the commercial fishing season, live from the holding tanks. The 27-hole Rend Lake Golf Course neighbors the shop and art center marked by a white, dimpled golf ball tank atop the water tower. Just south is Benton, home to a museum honoring George Harrison of the Beatles, who visited his sister, a Benton resident, back before the Fab Four hit the bigtime.
Contact
The address of the Southern Illinois Artisans Shop and Art Gallery is 14967 Gun Creek Trail, Whittington, IL 62897. Telephone (618) 629-2220. You can visit the website at http://www.museum.state.il.us/ismsites/so-il/.
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