The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, July 22, 1981-Page 15
U' ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN'S GUILD
A response to artists' needs

By PAM FICKINGER
Daily staff writer
Ten years ago, in order to satisfy artists' demands
to participate in an art fair, the Artists and Craf-
tsmen's Guild was born. They organized a free art
fair which was acclaimed as an overwhelming suc-
cess.
At this year's Fair, over 500 artists from the Guild
will be exhibiting, according to Guild Associate
Director Rita ,Bartolo. Setting up for the Fair, she
said, is like "building a city within a city."
THE FAIR IS planned a year in advance, said
Guild Director Helen Wilford, and the efforts of
dedicated people are evident in its success.
She added that many people who visit the Fair say
that its charm lies in the variety of the booths which
express the individuality of the different artists.
The Summer Art Fair draws people from many
places to the streets of Ann Arbor. This being the
case, the city plays a very important role in the Fair.
The Mayor's Art Committee, City Hall, the Chamber
of Commerce, and the Police and Fire Departments

are all an integral part of the successful running of
the Fair.
THE CITY IS "absolutely terrific" says Wilford,
adding that the Police Department is particularly
helpful. Other groups helping out are Boy Scout
Troop No. 78, and localhigh school students who act as
Fair marshalls.
Eclipse Jazz also assists in the running of the Fair.
They set up the sound system for the entertainment
and have made the Fair part of their summer concert
series.
When the Guild first began, they organized a free
fair and had a demand for artists. The group has sin-
ce grown very large and in 1979, they incorporated
and put a ceiling on the membership. The Guild has
now acquired IRS status and is officially a non-profit
organization.
IN ITS BEGINNING, the Guild developed rules
that would help keep the fair organized and respec-
table, and aid in insuring a bottom-line of quality. The
prevailing precept of the Guild, said Wilford, is that
everything "must be hand-made," no kits are
allowed.

Bartolo said that at firstr they shied away from the
aesthetic and there were pages and pages of rules
defining "What is art." But, Wilford added, who "can
tell anybody what art is."
To help alleviate this conflict, a standards commit-
tee was formed two years ago, by the Guild's Board
of Directors, to review members within and those ap-
plying to the Guild. The committee looks at slides,
commentary and interview sheets, and makes
recommendations to the Board.
WILFORD DESCRIBED the standards committee
as an "in-house classification." It is used as a means
of approaching members and encouraging people to
become aware of their work and to improve.
Bartolo describes it as an alternative to the jury
system and says it is also used as a means to educate
members. She adds that it's a peer system of sharing
and that the Guild is a "family."
There have been many changes in the Guild since it
first started. Now, artists who don't automatically
get accepted into the Guild can become associate
members.


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