SOUTHERN ILLINOIS ARTS & CRAFTS MARKETPLACE; STATE OF ILLINOIS SHOWCASES ARTISTS

Animal-like metal sculptures by Bergbower of Newton, Ill., greet visitors to the Southern Illinois Arts and Crafts Marketplace near Benton, Ill.

BENTON, Ill. -- At a time when government involvement in the arts is under siege at the federal level, the state-bankrolled Southern Illinois Arts & Crafts Marketplace is showcasing and selling the work of 800 Illinois artists -- two-thirds of them from the southern part of the state.

The marketplace is housed in a $1.9 million, 15,000-square-foot building that sits on six acres donated by the Rend Lake Conservancy District.

Besides the lake, the burgeoning district also is home to a 27-hole public golf course and a hotel under construction.

The marketplace, opened in 1990, is six miles north of Benton on Interstate 57.

The marketplace, which operates on consignment, does about $250,000 in business annually, according to Leo Packard, its director. About half the amount goes to the artists, the rest pays for supplies and the nine-member staff.

"Essentially it all comes back to Southern Illinois," Packard said.

Part of the business is generated by the annual Festival of Arts and Crafts, attended by 20,000-plus people last weekend. A children's festival also is held in the fall, and an indoor event at Christmas.

Arts and craft demonstrations are scheduled throughout the year. Basket makers will be featured June 10 and 11.

The art displayed at the marketplace is selected by a three-person jury of people who are qualified to make such decisions. Jurors are not associated with the program and are used only once.

All kinds of art and crafts are included. "We accept everything from country crafts to fine art if it meets the standards of quality," Packard says.

The marketplace is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week and also has an exhibition gallery for displaying works not for sale.

Illinois is the only state in the nation marketing its local arts and crafts at the retail level, Packard said.

The building is owned and maintained by the state. The Illinois State Museum Society manages the business.

The marketplace is on I-57 six miles north of Benton. Take Sesser/Whittington Exit 77 just west of the golf ball water tower.