Ste. Genevieve includes a growing community of artists. In order to maximize the impact of these artists and to develop benefits to them, to the community in general, and to visitors to Ste. Genevieve, an organized network is developing. The Fourth Friday Gallery & Studio Walks, as well as the use of this weblog, are the first of these efforts.
Fourth Friday participants are located in the Ste. Genevieve Downtown Historic District and defined as any shop or studio that is exclusively dedicated to producing, displaying, or selling items commonly recognized as art (i.e., paintings, pottery, photography, sculptures, constructions, etc.) are invited to participate in the Fourth Friday events. Cooperation with other shops in the district, such as gift shops, antique shops, restaurants, is encouraged for mutual benefit although these establishments will not be listed on the Fourth Friday maps.
It is hoped that various artists will interact with one another in such a way as to give support, encouragement, and effective publicity to benefit all members of the group. Mounting coordinated exhibits and conducting activities to attract interest to the efforts of all members of the group will benefit all. For example, artists with studios outside the downtown historic district are encouraged to work with other artists in the district to show their work either in conjunction with a shared exhibit or an individual one in a shared location.

2 comments
Comments feed for this article
July 23, 2008 at 4:00 am
Mike Devaney
This is well put, Karen. I just received a nomination form from Missouri Arts Council to nominate “an outstanding individual, arts organization, or community for the 2009 Missouri Arts Awards. Missouri citizens, organizations, and communities who have made significant contributions in the following categories are eligible: Arts Education, Arts Organization, Creative Community, Individual Artist, Leadership in the Arts, and Philanthropy.”
I think Ste Genevieve stands tall and should receive a nomination for the Arts Walk, the Promenade des Arts, the Autumn Daze Arts Festival, Jour de Fete and the Plein Air event, the plein air workshops and other ways Ste Genevieve supports the arts.
I am asking Juanita and Iris if the Art Guild shouldn’t write such a nomination. I am so proud to be a part of this arts community right now, I could jump up and down!
July 31, 2008 at 8:16 pm
stegenarts
Hi everyone,
Sorry this comment is so late. I really thought for the first event of the Fourth Friday, it was really great! Even my place , which is off the beaten path, got good traffic. It was really nice to see a lot of the local community come out and support us.
I would like to thank all of those who took the time out to visit each gallery and merchant. We all really appreciate it!
Diane