Alton Art Expo Accepting Applications for Art Show and Centerstone Fundraiser

ALTON - The second annual Alton Art Expo is accepting applications now.

Scheduled for Sept. 26–27, 2026, at The Old Bakery Beer Company, the Alton Art Expo invites artists from across the region to display and sell their art. This year’s expo is dedicated to artist Tai Davis. Donations will be given to Centerstone in honor of Suicide Prevention Month. It’s a topic that’s close to the heart of organizer Charles Mooneyham.

“The only reason why I’m alive today is because I called a suicide hotline,” Mooneyham said. “Every artist in here has some sort of miraculous story of resilience and hope. That’s what the expo is about. The expo is about getting connected to services and finding the support when you’re most definitely not okay and getting connected to supports that will teach you how to be okay, how to cope, how to manage, how to relieve some of the pain and anguish or whatever it is that’s a barrier in your life that is prohibiting you from experiencing your authentic self, your most truest form of wellness.”

Last year’s Alton Art Expo welcomed over 2,000 people, and the artists sold over $30,000 worth of artwork. Mooneyham hopes to grow even more this year. He noted that The Old Bakery Beer Company is providing their venue for free, and there will be artists in every corner of the building.

The expo is curated by Mooneyham, Stephen Scordias and Mindy Nickel. Artists can apply for free for the opportunity to vend. If selected, it costs $75 for a booth for both days. Artists can also team up with another artist and split a booth for $50 per person.

This year’s expo also features a contest. Through the month of March, artists can pay $10 to submit their work to the contest for the chance to win a free booth at the event. Their art will also be used in all advertising for the expo through September.

Artists keep their profits. Attendees are asked to donate money, canned goods or an essential item, including pet food. All donations will stay in Alton to support Riverbend residents who receive care through Centerstone, which is one of the largest behavioral healthcare providers in the nation.

The expo runs in conjunction with Suicide Awarness Month. Mooneyham has been on “both sides of the phone,” once calling into a suicide hotline during an attempt, and then going on to help people as a crisis intervention clinician who answered 988 calls.

He hopes the expo supports artists, but also starts conversations about mental health and suicide. He encourages people to ask “point-blank” questions of their loved ones, especially children.

Asking “Are you thinking of killing yourself?” will not “put ideas in people’s heads,” Mooneyham said, but instead might be the opening someone needs to be honest and take those first steps toward getting help.

He also reminds community members that people experience suicidal ideation for a number of reasons, not just as a symptom of depression.

“There’s a million and one reasons. I think everybody at some point in time has had a reason run across their mind,” he said. “The challenge is, for some of us, we experience that ideation on a repeated basis, whether that’s a result of trauma, depression, anxiety, financial constraints, whatever.”

Mooneyham supports Centerstone because the organization takes a holistic approach, helping to remove barriers or support people beyond their immediate mental health needs. He hopes the expo brings in substantial donations toward the cause while also helping to boost artists.

“I wanted to keep it where it’s curated. It’s accessible,” Mooneyham added. “I’m looking for that artist that’s maybe never done an art show because they can’t get accepted in the city. I’m looking for that rural artist with talent. I’m looking for that artist that’s got a story to tell of how they came out on top and how art helped them do that.”

For more information about the Alton Art Expo, including how to enter the contest, visit the official webpage on the Mooneyham Art Gallery website.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

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