In 1960 an inaugural Ann Arbor Street Art Fair was presented in collaboration with U-M and local artists and business groups. This year, four art fair groups and the community celebrate the anniversary of a fair considered one of the most prestigious and most popular in the country, traditionally drawing a half-million art lovers.
The fairs happen from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday on streets surrounding the Central Campus and along Liberty and Main streets downtown. Children’s activities and live music also are presented by the various fair groups.
The Ann Arbor art fairs return from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Photo by Austin Thomason, U-M Photo Services.
The four official 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. Traditionally, several university faculty and staff members serve on jury panels that vote on admittance into the fairs and assign awards for outstanding pieces.
For the fourth year, The School of Art & Design (A&D) presents an Alumni Art Show at Work•Ann Arbor at 306 State St., and at Slusser Gallery at A&D on North Campus. Since its inception, the show has featured work from more than 400 A&D alumni. This year’s show is titled “Interstices: the Space Between.” Organizers say the interstices could be a time, an interval, a place, an age, an event or an idea, real or imagined. All A&D alumni were invited to submit one piece in any media to the exhibition. An opening reception is from 6-9 p.m. Friday at Slusser Gallery. The exhibit runs through Aug. 9.
Faculty, staff and student volunteers with U-M’s Bioartography project return to Booth 155 on East University, to sell artistic microscopic tissue photography to fund projects of graduate students and fellows associated with The Center for Organogenesis, in the Medical School. “We will be introducing new scientific images that have been converted into art,” says Rebecca Pintar, administrative specialist with the center, which seeks to unite research to understand the basic mechanisms by which organs and tissues are formed and maintained, to create long-lasting artificial organs, stem cell therapies or organ transplantation systems.
To kick off art fair week, U-M and several area businesses are sponsoring the Fourth Townie Street Party from 5-9:30 p.m. today (July 19) at North University between Thayer and Fletcher, adjacent to Ingalls Mall. The event features art, music, food and children’s art activities. Performing from 5:30-6:30 p.m. will be Ann Arbor’s Danny Kline and the Original Sinners. Americana singer-songwriter Chris Mills will perform from 6:45-7:45 p.m. Relics will perform classic rock at 8:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
