All's Fair In A 2

For four days, four juried art fairs transform Ann Arbor
into one massive outdoor art gallery. Meet some of the
Jewish artists who'll show their work.

SUZANNE CHESSLER

Special to the Jewish News

N

414

7/11

2003

56

ation form as will all the directors. We're going to
monitor what's going on so we can tweak our plans
for next year."

ew artists, new art and even new settings
weave their way into Ann Arbor's sum-
Meet The Artists
mer art fairs this year with some new
Judaica threaded into the fabric of the
The Street Art Fair, founded 44 years ago, will be
four-day event.
set in the green spaces of the Ingalls Mall.
The award-winning and independently juried fairs Photographer Audrey Heller
— all four — are having more coordination this sea- (vvvvw.audreyhellencom) of San Francisco
will be among the 185 artists showing
son to bring visitors a smoother experience. As
work.
patrons walk from one segment to another, they also
will find demonstrations, children's activities, a pack-
"I think of my photos as little dramas,"
aging station, entertainment and food stands..
says Heller, who began her camera projects
The original Ann Arbor Street Art Fair moves to a
after being employed as a lighting designer
new location surrounding
and director in theater. "I define
the Burton Carillon Tower
my images as surreal, and I want
in the heart of the
people viewing them to look at
University of Michigan
familiar objects in different ways."
campus, while the South
Heller sets up pictures with toys
University Art Fair will
as subjects and alters scale. She will
expand to nearby territory.
take objects that are normally small
The State Street Area Art
and make them seem big in corn-
Fair remains in the center of
parison to nearby objects, normally
the action as the Ann Arbor
big but made to appear small.
Summer Art Fair divides
Heller associates her photo Change
between two locations, one
with her Jewish background, which comes
on Main Street at E. Liberty
from her father. The picture has a woman
and another on South State
looking for a coin in her purse as she is sur-
Street between William and
rounded with money from all over the world.
South University.
"Some of the money, from East Germany
Arthur Nusbaum, a board
and Czechoslovakia, doesn't exist any more so
member of the Street Art
I think of the picture as being about displace-
Fair, has been instrumental
ment and exile," says Heller, whose father
Jeffley Weiss: "Hand-Pai nted
in the changes taking place
escaped Germany and went to Shanghai.
#2," coat.
to accommodate 1,200
"The image has a sadness about it."
artists and the half-million
Aaron Macsai (wvvvv.aaronrnacsai.corn), a
visitors from all over
metalsmith from Morton Grove, Ill., has
America.
been in the Street Art Fair for 22 years and will be
"We are excited to inaugurate all the changes this
bringing one-of-a-kind Jewish stars along with other
kinds of jewelry.
year," says Nusbaum, also active with the Jewish
Community Center of Washtenaw County and the
"I like to work with patterned metal," says Macsai,
Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County. "We are
who began exploring art as a student at the University
glad to have become bigger and offer a more pictur-
of Chicago High School and went on to Southern
esque landscape."
Illinois University. "Judaica used to be a large part of
Nusbaum, who has lived in Ann Arbor since
my work, but now I mostly do that on commission."
1992, joined the art fair board in 2001 and is treas-
A project that related to religion, but not jewelry,
urer of the Site Committee. He brings a municipal
has brought Macsai the most attention in his career.
orientation as president of Steppingstone Properties
"Remember to Love," a wallpiece confronting the
Ltd., which promotes new urbanism and neighbor-
terrorist attacks in New York City, was done at the
hood development.
request of Crafts America and donated to the
American Craft Museum in New York.
"My home is filled with beautiful artwork from
Among 68 works with the same theme, Macsai's
previous years, and I'm looking forward to buying
more," Nussbaum says.
piece includes the Jewish prayer of mourning and
teeth once belonging to his father, a Holocaust sur-
"As I move through the fairs, I will have an evalu-

Left.
Aaron Macsai:
"Dancing Pearl
Pendant."

Below:
David
Greenbaum:
Ceramic
vessel.

Left:
Steven Goodman:
Fossilized
cabinet
handles.

Below:
Idelle
Hammond-Sass:
Bracelet.