Acge Eight
THE MICHIGAN DAILY,
Thursday September 4, 11'975'
Page Eight THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday September 4, 1975
. ,WER SI.IO
Art fairs highlight
o therwise tranquil
Ann Arbor summer
A. Gallery of furniture and
accessories reflecting t h e
SHAKER aesthetic
415 N. FIFTH AVE.
-994-9116-
t
W-
Daily Photo by PAULINE LUBENS
Pots, pots and more pots are in great evidence at the art fair each summer. But along with
ceramics of all kinds there's jewelery, painting, sculpture and other art forms of an infinite
variety. And the huge crowds that swarm to tie city for the gala event lap it up 'with eyes,
ears and lots of the greenbacks.
By SUSAN ADES
Summertime in Ann Arbor
is somewhat of a paradox.
Many people remain in town
long after the school-year mad-
ness has degenerated into an
unfamiliar lull; they enjoy the
relaxed atmosphere. Yet, the
excitement and frivolousness of
the annual mid-July Ann Arbor
outdoor art fairs seem to high-
light the season for everyone.
"All of a sudden quiet little
Ann Arbor is flooded by thous-
ands of people," exclaimed
Geri Rickman, an Art School
junior. "Booths start going up
and people are camping out and
there's all kinds of art all over
the place."
a THREE independent art fairs
descend concurrently upon Ann
Arbor streets, bringing dis-
plays of wood carving, log
sculpture, water colors, ma-
crame, leathercraft, enameling,
pottery and paintings by arti-
sans and craftsmen from all
parts of the U.S. -
The event has a fifteen-year
history which dates back to the
time when Ann Arbor mer-
chants, wishing to attract pa-
trons to the town during the an-
nual mid-summer "Bargain
Days" decided to hold a juried
art fair..
Today, the extravaganza is
a nationally - known arts fes-
tival which has grown to over-
shadow its reason for being.
The Ann Arbor Chamber of
Commerce estimates nearly
200,000 people pass through the
city during the course of the
four-day fair, viewing and
buying the works of more than
950 exhibitors.
THE ANN Arbor Street Art
Fair, sponsored by the South
University Merchants Organiz-
ation, is the oldest of the three
'fairs while the State Street
Merchants' State Street Fair
and the University Activities
Center (UAC) sponsored Free
Art Fair developed as less re-
strictive alternatives to their
stringently juried forerunner.
Held on S. University and E.
University, the Street Fair in-
cludes 156 uniformly construct-
ed booths sheltering the crea-
tions of 250-300 renowned ar-
tists, the majority of whom
come from Michigan (including
several Ann Arbor craftsmen)
while over 20 states and Cana-
dian provinces are also repre-
sented.
The Street Fair is juried in
the sense that participants are
chosennon the basis o fslide en-
tries of their work as well as on
their reputations. Artists who
are pl-aced on the invitational
I
L
in New York.
list are then asked to pay a
$25 registration fee.,
"OUR artists have gone
through a rigorous process and
that shows up in the quality of
our fair," said Dick Brunvand
co-ordinator of the Street Fair.
"The fair is designed to be
fluid to show what are is to-
day . . . not to give artists a
chance to make a lot of money
in four days,"'he added.
However, LSA senior, Danno
Deinelt complained many of
the displayed items seemed
overprived. She said, "You can
find really nice things if you
can pay the price."
FOR THOSE who would pre-
fer browsing to buying, the fair
takes on an added dimension
for virtually every craft pro-
cess. is demonstrated and the
Street Fair Committee requires
all artisans to be available at
their designated, sites.
Mime, feature their own form
of talent as they weave through
swarming crowds while the Ann
Arbor City Symphony Orchestra
sounds a score above the con-
stant drone.
Meanwhile, around the corner,
down East University, the Free
Arts Festival flourishes with
its blend of displays. This fair
is easily distinguished from the
juried fair by the array of orig-
inal booth designs.
"SOME people do elaborate
geodesic domes and multi-lev-
eled structures, and some are
still back in the days of blan-
kets and tables," said Chris
White, coordinator of the UAC
Artists and Craftsmen Guild, the
organization to which all 500
Free Arts Festival participants
must belong.
The festival abounds with ex-
hibits by University students
and faculty, among others, pro-
viding amateurs - closed out
of the Street Fair by the tight
jury system - a showcase for
their artwork.
Explaining that the five-year-.
old offshoot of the Street Fair
has now been accepted as an
established entity, White said,
"Our part of the fair has gained
a reputation of its own for hav-
ing a great variety of displays
and people enjoy its spontane-
ity."
"WE ARE no longer regarded
as just a band of disorganized
'hippies' or 'poachers'," she
added.
However, the price for legiti-
macy has taken the form of
limited fair size and imposed
registration procedures upon en-
trants. As a result, participants,
entering on a first-come, first-
served basis are now asked to
pay a $30 fee for booth space
located either on E. University
or on Main Street.
White reasoned, "To have a
fair which is organized and cul-
turally worthwhile in any form
other than a circus" there
must be limitations set.
WHEN, in past years, non-
registered exhibitors set up dis-
plays on the outskirts of the
traditional fair sites "it began
to resemble a sort of a flea
market or a church bazaar, not
an art festival," according to
White.
For some time the Street Fair
organizers "felt that the Free
Arts Festival was capitalizing
on the success of their fair,"
noted Jim Frenza, manager of
community relations for the
University.
As Brunvand put it, "We (the
Street Fair) were having an
id'entity crisis."
BUT THIS year, for the first
time, an effort was made to co-
ordinate the three separate
fairs through a Mayor's Art
Fair Committee in a move to
get people to work together. The
Committee is basically
concerned with the problem of
non-registered displayers.
"Nobody wants to go out and
bust heads during this fair,"
Frenza said, "but on the other
hand our biggest fear is that
the people who used to patron
ize the fair might .stop coming
because it has just gotten too
big and out of control.
"Your senses can really get
assaulted and I think that is
our biggest problem."
H OWE V E R, water - col-
orist, Beverly Coffin, a regis-
tered free Arts Festival exhibi-
tor and proponent of an unlim-
ited approach to the art fair
said, "My feeling is that they
should just open up Ann Ar-
bor and let the artists come in
because it's for their benefit.
"Besides," sh e questioned,
"what's wrong with an artist
setting up his wares on a street
corner."
A common response to Cof-
fin's query is the argument that
visitors can literally "OD" on
the amount of artwork that has
been shown in past years.
Architecture Prof. Edward
Olencki expressed another
widely - shared view, "The
'poachers' do downgrade it (the
fairs) and since there is organ-
ization in all of society they
ought to have it here too."
Organization earmarks the
third fair which is held on State
Street, Liberty St., Maynard
St. and N. University . . The
State Street Fair.
THIS fair was first begun as
an outlet for the inclusion of
more Michigan (state resident)
artisans.. However, last year,
several out-of-state applications
were reviewed and accepted.
Tent spaces go for $100 while
outdoor spaces are allotted for
According to Mr. Mandel, one
of the State Street Fair organ-
izers, a middle-of-the-road poli-
cy is used in the selection of
participants, employing a mild
jury system. "Obviously we
are looking for quality," he
said.
Activity at the State Street
Fair rivals all other in its abun-
dance of entertainment.
But the motley throng of
strollers spilling into the streets
is a sight overwhelming enough
to amuse anyone. Said Olencki,
"I go to the fair to 'people-
watch' more than just about
anything."
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GALLERY SHOWS
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INFO: 973-0590 D
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DO TIRE BARRIERS
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336 MAYNARD ST.l
Ann Arbor's Best and Most
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SPECIALIZING IN THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES
NO Sweatshirts, NO Office Supplies, NO Beermugs,
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' OUR ONLY SIDELINES ARE:
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From $3.00 to $35.00.
3. The $200.00 ROLLS-ROYCE model kit. See our
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4. The amazing bronze puzzle scultpures by
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Centicore Bookshops, Inc.
1229 South University0
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WE BUY AND SELL Used Paperbacks
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