Art, Too, At The Maize 'N' Blue s Below left: More than 500,000 visitors brave the Ann Arbor heat each year to attend three art fairs in one. has selected over 200 artists from 36 states who will exhibit their works in a variety of media. At this fair site on South and East University avenues and Church Street, visitors can also enjoy demonstrations by visual artists, performances, sidewalk sales and a supervised children's art activ- ities area run by the Michigan Art Education Association. Over on Maynard, Liberty, William and North University streets is the State Street Area Art Fair. This fair, sponsored by the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild, features over 200 nationally prominent artists showcasing painting, ceramics, photography, fiber, glass, jewelry and more. The State Street area also hosts a variety of restaurants in its shopping district. The Slimmer Art Fair, spon- sored by the Michigan Guild of Artists and Artisans, is located on State Street from South Uni- versity to Williams, Liberty Street from Ashley to Fifth, and Main Street from Williams to Huron. Home to 560 artists from 40 states, this is the largest of the three fairs. It features fine arts and American crafts, ranging from traditional baskets to gold and gemstone jewelry. The Summer Art Fair also boasts the Imagination Station, a hands-on art area free for chil- dren and their parents. Pasta necklaces and sun visors are some of the projects waiting to be created. The Ann Arbor Junior Theatre Strolling Players and the Ann Ar- bor Suzuki Institute of Music will entertain at the Imagination Sta- tion. Art goers will be shopping with a spring in their step thanks to the jazz and blues musicians per- forming at eight separate locales throughout the fairs. The stages, featuring amplified music, jug- glers, dancers and acoustic mu- sicians, include the likes of Slack Rope Walker Will Soto, the Dance Gallery Dancers and the Close Harmony Quartet Musical Moments. Cohen, an artist based in Walled Lake, specializes in craft- ing "activity figures" like dancers and runners, designed specifi- cally to her customers' tastes. She will have both a jewelry and painting booth at the Summer Art Fair. 'There's so much going on at the art fair," says Cohen. "It's got a great energy and is the real happening place to be." ❑ — Mara Reinstein e The Ann Arbor Art Fair hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m Wednesday, July 24-26, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, July 27. The Imagination Station is located at the Post Office Plaza on the corner of Lib- erty Street and 5th Avenue. Hours are 10 a.m-6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Visitors are encouraged to park their cars at Briarwood Mall or Pioneer High School, where there is free parking. Shuttle buses to the fair are $1 each way for adults, Chil- dren 7-and-under free. Trol- ley is free to shuttle bus passengers and 50 cents for others. Call (313) 995-7281. PHOTO BY KYLE JOSEPH MOO RE Below right: Shari Cohen's jewelry and painting will be featured at Booth No. 269 on State Street. hari Cohen remembers when the Ann Arbor Art Fair was just a casual get- together of local artists dis- playing their goods to Ann Arbor passersby. "We just set up by the trees in our little compartments and hoped for the best," says Cohen, who first participated in the fair in 1976. Twenty years later, the Ann Arbor Art Fair has become the summer answer to the 500,000- plus visitors who annually ask for a place to go, people to see and things to do. The juried art fair is actually comprised of three distinct art fairs sponsored by individual lo- cal nonprofit organizations. Now in its 37th year, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair is spon- sored by the Arm Arbor Potters Guild. This original juried fair iry CS= T HE DET ROI T JE WIS H NEWS This Week's Best Bets Rockin' Reggae Rooftop The open-air reggae par- ty features Jo Nab on Fri.-Sat., 10 p.m. Friday and Akoben on Saturday on the deck of Second City, Detroit. (313) 965-9500. Godzilla One of Japan's most popular cultural ex- ports, the original 1954 film attacks U-M's Center for Japanese Studies. (313) 764-6307. Fri., 7 p.m. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Stewart Francke Roald Dahrs children's story comes to the stage in Stagecrafters' interac- tive family presentation. Baldwin Theatre, 415 Lafayette, Royal Oak. 810) 541-6430. In honor of the release of his new CD, the lo- cal hero performs with J.T. Harding at the Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.; Suii 1 p.m. Sat., 8 p.m. Magic Bag in Fern- dale. (810) 544-3030. Beth Hart Band Along with Tal Herberg, her Israeli bassist, Jim- my Khoury and Sergio Gonzalez, the songstress Sat., 9 p.m. performs with Elephant Ride. 7th House, Ponti- ac. (810) 335-3540.