16 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, July 22, 2002
DESPITE WEATHER, RECESSION, ART FAIRS STILL A
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By Karen Schwartz Ostasiewski, director of the
and Maria Sprow Summer Art Fair.
Daily News Editors Ostasiewiski said the art
fair's attendance was low on
Five days later, Ann Arbor is back to normal. Wednesday and Thursday
Gone are the white tents that covered campus and due to weather reports but
blocked the streets. Gone are the vendors and the back to normal Friday ands/
artists and the crowds - much to the relief of Saturday.
many local Ann Arbor residents. "I would say it was over-.;
While visiting the art fairs is a must for many, all on par from last year,
some said their level of enjoyment was slightly which is down from years
dampened by the trouble the pedestrian traffic past, but ... the economic
and tents caused them as they tried to maneuver environment is the deciding
campus. factor," he said.
Art school senior Chris Cornecelli said it took He added that because of
him over three times as long to get to work dur- the current economic conditions, people were while still expressing their satis-
ing the art fairs. more likely to browse the fairs as opposed to faction with the art fair.
"I work on Main Sreet and stopping in the booths, an "I'm very tired," said local artist Allan Reid
it takes me half an hour to get observation he heard from Saturday as he sat in the director's chair outside
from State to Main," he said. "I do think the several artists. his tent on South University.
"It's absurd." "I do think the crowds But Reid, a 30-year veteran of the Ann Arbor
LSA senior Jon Kulpa said crowds were were definitely there, it's just Street Art Fair, said he'll keep coming back -
while he does not mind the a matter of whether they going to the Art Fair every year is part of his life
crowds much himself, it's defnitely there, it'S spent their money," he said. and career as a pen-and-ink etchings artist.
been a definite complaint He added that he also His drawings, mostly composed of ghostly
among his friends. just a matter of believes the success of the art white chalkings on black backgrounds, are
"People say 'art fair is fairs is being affected by the meant to reflect the "real world", which he
cool, I just get sick of it being whether they spent changing face of entertain- said is invisible and lies beyond the material
in my way,"' he said. But theirmment because people no world people live in.
Kulpa said he believes that is m Yoney longer have to go to fairs or Reid, who has known he wanted to be an artist
the price that needs to be paid - Matt Ostasiewski galleries to view and buy art. since he was four, has always liked drawing. He
in exchange for the excite- Many people can now buy said the inspiration for his current style of art
ment of the art and the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair director art work and learn about came from totem polls and that he feels his art
crowds it brings. artists over the internet, he carries the same message.
"I absolutely love seeing said. Despite that, Ostasiews- "I'd like it to be a voice from the other side," he
all the people. I like people watching a lot, dodg- ki said he still felt like the art fairs' popularity said. "To make the invisible visible."
ing all the people," Kulpa said. would rise back with the economy and said this Reid said being an artist is largely about
Another perk, he said, was the free food he year's art fairs were a success. being able to listen to an inner voice and being
said was given away at night as the art fairs were He added that, from his standpoint, he consid- able to shut out outside influences that could
closing. "I'll miss the free dinners," he added. ers the event successful by the drown it out.
Food and art were in abundance during the fact that it was operational - that "Try to listen to "Try to listen to the
event's four days, with one vender on East people could go and decide what , ,, inner voice," he said.
William Street saying they sold more than to think. your inner voice, "It'll tell you what to do."
100 hot dogs Saturday alone. "What it comes down to is, if Scott Hartley, a Uni-
Though the crowd wasn't as huge as it's you can get it to the point where' - Allan Reid versify alum who grad-
been in past years, they still mostly matched the deciding factors are complete- Local Street Art Fair exhibitor uated in 1979, started
Photos courtesy of Marc Sijan last year's ly out of your control, meaning out wanting to be a
There was a constant numbers, the economy and people's tastes musician and just paint-
crowd gathered at the said Matt ... then that to me is a successful fair." ing for fun. But Hartley, who has been paint-
comer of East William and He added that he believes ing for about 25 years, was inspired to paint
Maynard streets, around many people don't realize what after attending the art fairs
the booth of Wisconsin really goes into putting the fair while living in Ann Arbor
artist Marc Sijan, whosetogether. and has been presenting at
life-like mannequins "If people took a step back the art fairs since 1985.
had fair goers and realized, if they have "After I got here and
betting on who was any idea what it takes for saw the art fair and got4
real and who wasn't, people to come in and get into art, I realized I
"There are always out in those five days ... wanted to do that
comments, always (they'd know) it's won- instead," he said.
reactions," said SIjas, derful and it's frighten- He said watching
a long-time exhibitor ing, frightening in the demonstrations dur-
probat the art fairs. sense that it's so large," ing the fair helped
people in four dys he said. him improve his
asking me If they are "(Last) Monday, painting and gain the
real" those booths weren't skills he now show-
Though the security there and come Sunday, cases as he demon-
guard (at right) wasn't they weren't there again. strates to others.
present at this year's What it took to go from a "They had demon-
fair, Sijan, whose work sleepy little town, like Ann strators, now I demon-
sells for $34,000, said it Arbor is in the summer, to s t r a t e
was a favorite from years an explosion of people to
past. sleepy little town again is
Sijan said he got miraculous in many ways."
started In his craft By the end of their five-
because he wanted to day blitz, several artists
"create something unique were showing their fatigue
that noone else has."
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TONY DING/Daily
UPPER LEFT: Art Fair musical guest The
Terraplanes Blues Band performs on the fair's
main stage on State Street Friday. MIDDLE: The
crowd browses the art fair on Maynard Street
Thursday afternoon, one of the fairs' lowest
turnout days. ABOVE: Community High School 4
student Lauren Yoder sits for a caricature portrait
by artist Byron Hunter Friday afternoon.
too. Back then I just watched," he said. "That
helped me learn."
Hartley said he never
gets tired of painting,
which runs in his family,
and that he has always
been interested in
watercolor, his
current medium.
The aspect he
enjoys most
about art, he
said, is "just
the abstract
qu ali tie s
that make a
good paint-
ing."
Hart-
l e y
focuses
his art
work on common
Ann Arbor locales,
like allies and build-
ings, and takes color
and structure and
shadowing into care-
ful consideration.
"I like to make an
order out of that
stuff, organize it
into a painting,"
Hartley said.
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