Wednesday, July 21, 1976

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Rage Twenty-Three ''

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It's not all f un for
Art Fair exhibitors

By JENNIFER MILLER
with JAY LEVIN
Pity the life of an art fair exhibitor.
Sitting hours on end on a sagging
chair, hurling pleading glances at every-
one who passes by.
FONDLING your wares before either
disinterested, or financially beleaguered
spectators, you occasionally lower a
price-tag for the sake of that inimitable
feeling of actually making a sale.
The fair may be a carnival for those
who drop in to spend a few sunny hours
of pleasant browsing-they can go home
when dinner time approaches for a sav-
ory meal, or a relaxed hour in the late
afternoon sun by the family pool.
But the exhibitor has to make do with
threadbare meals consisting of ham-
burgers and pretzels, and an occasional
stick of Juicy Fruit.
COME NINE O'CLOCK, when you
know the fair still has an hour to go, it
is tempting to just pack up the wares
and leave early. But you stay, convinced
that in the final few fleeting minutes,
some mink-clad dowager from Bloom-
field Hills will float by your booth and
exclaim raptuously "Just what I'm
looking for." Then, with one swirly ges-
ture of her plumed pen on a blank
check, she proceeds to purchase every
single piece of lovingly made art lying
unclaimed before you.
But of course it never happens.

A lot does happen though. Like steal-
ing a quick glance at your next-door
exhibitor-competitor, with a flash of
envy as he or she peddles the 95th piece
of trash spun from a 69 cent container
of Play-Dough.
"BUT OUR STUFF is so much bet-
ter," you complain to your partner,
who has immersed herself in the latest
Gothic novel to counteract the aura of
boredom.
And then, of course, is the species of
shopper who saunters past your booth a
dozen times to look at one particular
product of your efforts. She then vows
to return with her friend at 8:30 in order
to purchase it.
The first few times this happens, you
confidently tie a "sold" tag to the deli-
cate gold ring, and think lovingly "Ah,
one hundred and fifty dollars in my
pocket, minus tax of course."
BUT, ALAS, you quickly learn not to
jump to these hastily made conclusions,
and merely sigh to yourself, "Oh yeah,
I've heard that one before."
Of course, some do return, and as they
carefully clasp that handcrafted, little-
piece-of-yourself around their neck, you
realize that it is all worthwhile.

Jennifer Miller, co-editor of the Art
Fair supplement, and her mother have Doily Photo by KEN FINK
exhibited hand-crafted jewelry in Ann In a spirit of detente, Rachel Holmberg, 7, cannot decide between buying the
Arbor for the past five years. horse or having the panda purchased for her by the State.

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[Fairgoers enjoy the sun and shop for- various arts-facts at the Ann Arbor'Art Fair. The blond child in foreground is somewhat more interested in the sidewalk, however.