John Wysocki looked at the Lawrence Visitor Center in North Lawrence last fall and saw an opportunity.

“It seemed the outside space in particular was a perfect setup for an outdoor event because there is an area that is under a canopy on the west side of the building,” he says. “And then there’s graveled area as well as grassed area on which one could place tents comprising displays of things, specifically displays of artwork.”

Thus, the Lawrence ArtMarket was born.

The event will feature Lawrence and out-of-town artists and artisans selling their wares from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every third Saturday from May through September at the visitor center, 402 N. Second St.

The first market is Saturday.

D.W. Gates will be there with his nature photography. Hopeful that the event will pick up steam as more people become aware of it, Gates has signed up for the May and June markets.

“I’m always looking for new venues,” he says. “I think that it’s a really good idea, and I think the possibilities are large if we can get it in the public mindset that there’s something there five times a year.”

Although Wysocki, a photographer and organizer of the Lawrence ArtWalk, estimates the location has room for as many as 50 artists, he’s expecting between 15 and 20 for the first Saturday.

“I get the sense that a lot of artists are just waiting to see how the first one goes; it’s kind of like a chicken and egg deal,” says Wysocki, who co-founded the market with Eudora artist Mick Braa. “We’d like to have a lot of artists out there to make it as appealing to visitors as possible, but since this is a brand new event and untested, a lot of people are just sitting on the sidelines waiting to see how it transpires.”

Any artist or artisan can participate, provided their work is original. The entry fee, based on a sliding scale, is $40-$60 per month. Registration deadline for each month’s market is due the first of that month.

Wysocki hopes the market brings Lawrence one step closer to becoming a Santa Fe of the Midwest. The New Mexico tourist destination maintains a popular open-air market in the center of town.

“This is our part to promote that image and bring more people to town,” Wysocki says. “And it’s also part of my own goal to create a mecca for the arts here and thus relieve artists of the need to go out of town to find markets for their work.”