Ann Arbor Art Fairs

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The Ann Arbor Art Fairs from above
The Ann Arbor Art Fairs from above

The Ann Arbor Art Fairs are a group of four award-winning art fairs taking place annually in Ann Arbor, Michigan that attract over 500,000 visitors each year. The fairs take place on a Wednesday through Saturday during mid-July. In addition to art exhibits, the fairs also feature music performances and children's activities, most notably the "Imagination Stations." The four fairs are the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the State Street Art Fair, the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, and Ann Arbor's South University Art Fair. [1]

Contents

[edit] The Fairs

[edit] Ann Arbor Street Art Fair

The first of the four, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, was established in 1960 by a collaboration between the Ann Arbor Art Association, the University of Michigan and two business groups. Today, it is held around the Burton Carillon Tower, a clock tower on the central campus of the University of Michigan, and features almost 200 artists, along with a number of other hands-on activities and performances.[2] In 2004, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair was named number one on the AmericanStyle magazine's list of "Top 25 Fairs & Festivals." [3]

[edit] Ann Arbor State Street Art Fair

The Ann Arbor State Street Art Fair was established in 1968 and is sponsored by the Ann Arbor Street Area Association. It features almost 400 artists and takes place in the shopping districts around State Street. [4]

[edit] Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair

The Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair was established in 1970 and is run by the The Guild of Artists & Artisans. Originally called the Free Arts Festival and held on the Diag, in the University of Michigan's Central Campus, in the mid-70s it was renamed to become the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair. Currently, it is held in two locations, one on State Street, and the other on Main Street and Liberty Street between Main and 4th Avenue. In addition to 375 professional artists, the fair also features performances and children's activities.[5]

[edit] Ann Arbor South University Art Fair

Established in 2000 as the Art Fair Village, the Ann Arbor South University Art Fair changed its name in 2004, at that time also taking over the site of the original Art Fair on South University. [6] The fair features almost 200 artists and is sponsored by the South University Area Association. [7]

[edit] Protest from Residents

Given the traffic and inconvenience of having a large number of visitors come in for the week, many Ann Arbor residents dislike the fairs and have protested against them, rallying under the slogan of "It's not art, and it's not fair."[8] In an effort to cultivate a better relationship with locals, in 2005 the Art Fairs started a tradition of holding a "Townie Street Party" on the Monday before the fairs begin.[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Guide to Ann Arbor Art Fairs." Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau. 27 June 2006. http://www.annarbor.org/artfair2005/
  2. ^ a b Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original. 27 June 2006 http://www.artfair.org/.
  3. ^ AmericanStyle. October 2004. http://www.americanstyle.com/Travel/Top_25_Fairs_Festivals/1AnnArbor.cfm
  4. ^ "2005 State Street Art Fair." The State Street Area Association. 27 June 2006. http://www.a2state.com/artfair/
  5. ^ "The 38th Annual Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair." The Guild of Artists & Artisans. 8 March 2007. http://www.theguild.org/art_fair_summer.html
  6. ^ "Ann Arbor Craft Shows Have a Loyal Following on Both Sides of the Displays." The Craft Report. 27 June 2006. http://www.craftsreport.com/commonfiles/articles/cs.html
  7. ^ "Ann Arbor's South University Art Fair." Ann Arbor's South University Area . 27 June 2006. http://www.a2southu.com/content.php?page=2
  8. ^ Richard Wiggins. "Please Swipe my Credit Card." Internet Outlook 20 July 1997. Accessed 27 June 2006. http://www.webreference.com/outlook/column3/
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