Monday, July 19, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

19

Old, new at A2 fair

New innovations don't
compromise spirit of
Ann Arbor Art Fairs
By EMMA JESZKE
ManagingArts Editor
Anyone who has ever been in Ann
Arbor over the summer knows what
kind of madness
ensues during the Ann Arbor
Art Fairs: The mas- Art Fairs
sive flock to all areas
of campus and down- Wednesday
town leaves little through
room for anything Saturday
but the art that the Various locations
city comes together around campus
to celebrate. and downtown
Each year, four Free
independent fairs
- the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The
Original; the State Street Area Art Fair;
the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair and
Ann Arbor's South University Art Fair
- act as one,bringinginroughlyathou-
sand artists and over half a million visi-
tors from all over the world.
The high-traffic, low-parking occa-
sion probably seems like a reason for
University students to piss and moan.
But participating artists explain why
the Art Fairs provide an opportu-
nity for all demographics to become
involved with the local art scene.
Samuel Yao, a professional basket
weaver and Art Fair veteran, com-
mented on the fairs' importance as an

Ann Arbor staple, recognized across
the nation.
"During the year, I travel to many
places ... almost anywhere Igo, the peo-
ple know Ann Arbor," Yao said. "Ann
Arbor is very famous for two things:
One is the University, of course, and the
other one is the Ann Arbor Art Fair."
Yao expressed that the eclecticism
and variety provided by theAnn Arbor
Art Fairs comes from a continuous
cycle of not only patrons of the fairs,
but from the new work being displayed
from up-and-coming artists.
"Because the Art Fair has been run-
ning for so many years, I see over the
years some old artists retiring and also
young artists coming in for the shows,"
Yao said. "This is a very good thing for
the Art Fair to continue - when some
artists retire, new artists keeping add-
ingin."
Yao also commented on how the Art
Fairs are not only good for celebrating
the culture and work of the artists, but
also for stimulating the local economy
by bringing a high influx of out-of-
towners into the city and, in turn, a lot
of business for local shops and restau-
rants.
While most aspects that avid fair-
goers know and love will remain
intact, some innovations have been
introduced to this year's Art Fairs.
Brought up-to-date with the latest
technology, they will create as low-
stress an experience as possible for
those who may be averse to the chaos
of the fairs.

Innovations at this year's fairs
include a free Ann Arbor Art Fairs
iPhone App - people can download
it via iTunes directly to their iPhone.
The app gives access to an artist search
thatincludes participants' information
and a sample of their work, an enter-
tainment search by name/stage/genre
and convenient ways to getto and from
the Art Fairs as well as parking, a local
business search and more.
Also new this year will be air-con-
ditioned trolleys which run on natural
gas - at a cost of $1 per day, fairgo-
ers will be able to be shipped easily
between the separate fairs.
There are also new park-and-ride
options available for fairgoers, with a
new location at Maple Village Shop-
ping Center for a $4 round trip. Other
shuttles are available at Briarwood
Mall, Pioneer High School and with
the University Commuter Bus from
North Campus - all for about a $3
round trip.
Although these changes have been
made to help the Art Fairs run as
smoothly as possible for visitors, the
integrity of the fairs remains the same.
Each of the fairs holds its own person-
ality, and each has a unique draw that
distinguishes it from the other loca-
tions. The fairs will be hosting a wide
array of artists - some local to the
A2 scene, like Yao, and some from all
corners of the globe; some artists who
have been coming to the fairs for 30
years, and others just on the brink of
their professional careers.

P4k stabs hearts
in Union Park
By MIKE KUNTZ ies and how to out-hip the hipsters
Daily Music Editor (towing the invisible line between
Pitchfork-crowd pandering and
With four years in the books, Pitchfork-crowd baiting). Comedians
Pitchfork has proven that it knows are the perfect intermission between
how to put on a music festival. noisy acts under a hot sun, and I'm
And now, at year five and still counting on more of them to pad the
unable to shakethe expected setbacks weekend ,as Pitchfork no doubt will
of any music festival - overpriced continue to grow in future years.

beer, limited water fountains and
a bottleneck at every entrance and
exit to the park - the indie-music-
authority-turned-festival-organizer
has nonetheless made it abundantly
clear that music takes precedent, so
you might as well suck it up and drink
your Heineken Light.
Between the large new-and-used
vinyl tent, a poster sale and booths
for almost every independent label
with artists at the festival, there was
plenty to keep the crowd occupied all
weekend.
In addition to roping headliners
Modest Mouse, LCD Soundsystem
and Pavement for the three-day affair
in Chicago's Union Park, Pitchfork
Music Festival offered stand-up com-
edy performances for the first time,
putting it one step closer to Bonnaroo
in its all-encompassing scope of the
arts.
Comedians Wyatt Cenac and
Michael Showalter gathered on the
(b) stage - an appropriately quieter,
shaded corner - giving entertaining
performances about racist baker-

Murphy's Sound-
system trumped
Pitchfork's.
Friday's music highlights included
a furious performance from psych-
noise-rockers Liars, whose towering
frontman wore an uber-ironic sleeve-
less Men at Work shirt and running
shorts while expertly manipulating
his voice with an effects box center
stage. Robyn and the Tallest Man on
Earth similarly won over crowdswith
sheer charisma and expertly crafted
pop and folk, respectively.
Modest Mouse, despite some
expert guitar work from Johnny
Marr, couldn't generate enough
momentum in its set to keep it from
becoming a disappointing dirge
of lackluster showmanship. More
See PITCHFORK, Page 10

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