Ann Arbor Art Fair 2023 is under way: Here's what to expect

Aurora Sousanis, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·4 min read

After long hours of set up and travel, the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair is set up and ready to go, though as tradition would have it, some summer storms may rain on the parade.

The city announced Thursday that it may briefly close the art fair between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. due to severe weather warnings. The festivities are otherwise scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 10.a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.

Evelyn Chavez rolls down the tent cover at artist Dane Shue's tent on State Street before the coming storm which temporarily closes the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair from 3-5 p.m. in Ann Arbor on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
Evelyn Chavez rolls down the tent cover at artist Dane Shue's tent on State Street before the coming storm which temporarily closes the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair from 3-5 p.m. in Ann Arbor on Thursday, July 20, 2023.

The fair was started in the summer of 1960, when a group of Michigan artists hung their work from rope and wire between parking meters, and set their pots and sculptures down in the middle of the street.

The first Ann Arbor Art Fair hosted 125 artists, 92 of which were Ann Arbor residents.

Since then, it has grown into a nationally known event and the largest juried art fair in the country, showcasing approximately 1,000 artists and attracting about 400,000 visitors annually. Part of its size is due to the fact that the Ann Arbor Art Fair is actually one event made up of three different fairs: The Original, the Guild's Summer Art Fair, and the State Street District Art Fair.

The Original is organized by the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, a nonprofit arts organization, and is located solely on the University of Michigan's property. According to mixed media artist Karin Wagner Coron, this means there is no connection to stores and merchants who use the fair's foot traffic to their advantage.

Karin Wagner Coron, of Ann Arbor, prepares her booth at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The 3-day fair features almost 1,000 artists and draws in close to half a million attendees each year. Wagner Coron is a mixed-media artist and has been coming to the Ann Arbor Art Fair since 1992.
Karin Wagner Coron, of Ann Arbor, prepares her booth at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The 3-day fair features almost 1,000 artists and draws in close to half a million attendees each year. Wagner Coron is a mixed-media artist and has been coming to the Ann Arbor Art Fair since 1992.

"The main focus of the organization is the artists," Coron said. "The Original is solely a place for artists to showcase their art."

Others, however, prefer to be among the shops. The Summer Art Fair is run by the Guild of Artists & Artisans, another nonprofit organization. They are located along Main Street as well as down Liberty, State, and South University streets and they have a year-round gallery, the Gutman Gallery, in downtown Ann Arbor.

Photographer Paul James works on the board of directors for the Guild and mentions that it is the only show at the Ann Arbor Art Fair that is run "by and for the artists."

Paul James, 70, sets up his booth at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The 3-day fair features almost 1,000 artists and draws in close to half a million attendees each year. James is a photographer and travels the world taking scenic landscapes to sell.
Paul James, 70, sets up his booth at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The 3-day fair features almost 1,000 artists and draws in close to half a million attendees each year. James is a photographer and travels the world taking scenic landscapes to sell.

Finally, the State Street District Art Fair showcases artists along with the local shops they stand in front of. They organize fine art booths as well as the MarketPlace which showcases over 60 different vendors.

In addition to generating sales for both artists and shopkeepers, the fair's massive audience provides an opportunity for the University of Michigan football and basketball athletes to raise awareness for organ donation and bone marrow registration with the Stadium and Main Foundation and UM Transplant Center.

Getting ready for the massive event is no joke. Artists in all three must apply far in advance with pictures of their work, be accepted into the fair, carefully pack up their works, and hit the road. Out of towners have the extra burden of booking hotels, and organizing transit.

Visitors walk by booths on North University Avenue during the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair at U-M's central campus in Ann Arbor on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
Visitors walk by booths on North University Avenue during the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair at U-M's central campus in Ann Arbor on Thursday, July 20, 2023.

In the days leading up to the show, artists from around the country call on supportive family, friends, and spouses for assistance as they unload their trucks and set up their booths in 84 degree heat.

Julio Garcia, 64, and his wife, Cecilia, have driven from San Diego, California, to show Garcia's work at the fair for over 20 years, stuffing their van with "whatever fits" and hauling it across the country. When asked why they keep coming back he mentions the prestige of the art fair.

"People expect good art here, artistic genius."

Julio Garcia, 64, of San Diego, California, hands pieces of artwork to his wife, Cecilia Garcia, 64, to prepare his booth at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The 3-day fair features almost 1,000 artists and draws in close to half a million attendees each year.
Julio Garcia, 64, of San Diego, California, hands pieces of artwork to his wife, Cecilia Garcia, 64, to prepare his booth at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The 3-day fair features almost 1,000 artists and draws in close to half a million attendees each year.

While expectations are high, the Ann Arbor Art Fair boasts a wide range of artistic experience and mediums.

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Troy Anderson, 46, is accompanied by his 15-year-old son, Ryker. Anderson is a metal sculptor who learned the trade from his father and hopes to continue that tradition with his son. When asked if he contributes to the art being sold, Ryker smiles and points to a collection of colorful metal sculptures.

"I make the smaller ones," he said.

Her second year at the Ann Arbor fair, and fourth year showing her art, 31-year-old pen and ink artist Shelby Elizbeth drove in with her husband from Austin, Texas. Her booth is filled with black and white ink-ings of animals.

A few booths down is John Galbo, an 80-year-old photographer and teacher from Boca Raton, Florida, who has been showing his work for over 30 years at the fair. His photographs display sights from around Europe and are blown up so that two cover an entire wall of his booth.

John Galbo, 80, of Boca Raton, Florida prepares his booth at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The 3-day fair features almost 1,000 artists and draws in close to half a million attendees each year. Galbo is a photographer and painter but prides himself on his painterly landscape photographs.
John Galbo, 80, of Boca Raton, Florida prepares his booth at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. The 3-day fair features almost 1,000 artists and draws in close to half a million attendees each year. Galbo is a photographer and painter but prides himself on his painterly landscape photographs.

No matter how long they have been coming, artists across the fair point to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan's appreciation and support of artists as incredibly special, and a large part of why they keep coming back all these years.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ann Arbor Art Fair 2023: What to expect