Poge 6-Wednesday, July 19, 1978-The Michigan Daiy
For the novice: how
to survive the Fair
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By ELISA ISAACSON
Somehow, the Art Fair always seems
to coincide with the four hottest days of
the year, and those fair-goers who plan
to make the entire rounds of the
festivities would be wise to heed these
survival tips.
Be prepared to sweat. The com-
bination of the sun and the jungle of
bodies one must scramble through
suggests scant, summery clothing and
"sensible shoes." If you are going to be
outside for hours at a time, bring some
sort of protection from the sun - a
broad-brimmed hat or sunscreen
cream. A foldable plastic raincoat
might be a good idea, just in case.
A good percentage of fair attenders
merely oggle the goods, but if you plan
to spend some money don't do it too
hastily. If you spot "just what you've
been looking for," look a little further.
Chances are you will find a nearly iden-
tical item two stalls down. Once you
have mastered that trick, you can begin
comparing prices to get the best
possible buy.
A sturdy string or cloth shopping bag
is a handy vehicle for hauling all your
purchases. Who knows? At the Ann Ar-
bor Art Fair you could end up with two
6'x8' framed watercolors and a large
stuffed velvet cactus. -
The downtown merchants take ad-
vantage of the Art Fair to unload their
often moldy, year-old merchandise in a
"summer clearance bonanza". Don't
be fooled by the array of India-print
garments, mass-produced leather
goods, and out-of-print books
decorating the sidewalks in front of the
shops. This stuff is standard Ann Arbor
merchandise all year round, so con-
template the price tag carefully to
determine whether your potential pur-
chase is really such a "bargain" after
all.
Parking at the Art Fair is a hopeless
job - it is best to park as far AWAY
from the area as possible. Since booths
are set up in the streets, downtown
thoroughfares are banned to cars. The
conglomeration of pedestrians within a
three-block radius of the fairgrounds is
enough to drive even the most tolerant
motorist insane. The Pioneer High
School parking lot, at South Main and
Stadium, offers parking, and a city bus
connects the lot to the fair. The Art Fair
Shuttle Bus will tow weary walkers
around the downtown area.
With the Art Fair comes entertain-
ment galore: street musicians,
mimists, glass blowing demonstrations
and lots of et cetera. Check the hap-
penings schedule early in the day so you
can plan when to be where at what
time. And remember, during the Art
Fair it takes five times as long to get
across campus as it does any other time
of the year.
After hours of poring over endless
stalls of arts and crafts, bargaining
with artists, bumping into and swearing
at fellow patrons and saturating your
clothes with sweat, you are bound to
bog down and feel the need to get away
from it all. Takea break.
You could hit the Ann Arbor Public
Library, which is air conditioned and
probably the only place in the area.
where people still whisper. The diag is a
convenient spot to ease your aching
feet, but everybody else seems to feel
the same way. For more removed
relaxation, head over to the Nichols Ar-
boretum, a few blocks east of the cam-
pus, where you can flop down in the cool
grass and catch a few needed winks in
relative solitude.
21
Smal bu t eomplete
By RICHARD BERKE
While the State Street Art F
be the smallest of the three art
organizers say it will be just
plete as the other two.
Now entering its eleventh y
State Street fair will feature 156
who were winnowed out of a poi
applicants. A nine-member con
has worked for two months re
artists' slides in order to select tl
desirable displays.
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SUMMER SALE
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500 E. LIBERTY
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The State Street event, sponsored by
ay the State Street Area Merchants
ats Association (SSAMA) is spread over
m' Maynard, East Liberty, and State
streets. Under a huge striped tent,
the fairgoers will be able to view a wide
sts balance of artwork.
40p Geri Willson, co-chairperson of the
tee State Street event, said this year's fair
ng will have the largest number of par-
ost ticipants ever. She said 156 is the most
they can handle because of space
limitations. Artists for whom there is no
room are often put on a waiting list for
next year's exhibition, when they will
have a better chance of being selected.
Willson said more display room was
opened up this year because several
merchants agreed to give up sidewalk
space to the artists. In some areas, ar-
twork will be intermingled with the
sidewalk sales of local stores.
Sixty per cent of the artists par-
ticipating in the State Street fair are
from Michigan,.and many of them from
the Ann Arbor area.
Willson said the fair is an important
event for SSAMA members. "We enjoy
it," she stated. "We get alot of PR and
our artists want to come back."
The fair was initially designed to
coincidegvith annual summer sales of
the State Street merchants. Nowadays,
both the merchants and artists con-
tribute to the planning of the fair.
"We're small," Willson conceded,
"but we feel we're pretty mighty."
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