Ann Arbor Art Fair: A Love Letter to the Artist Community by Kamryn Lowler
K
aren Delhey, Frances Todoro-Hargreaves, and Angela Kline spend much of their year planning and promoting the Ann Arbor Art Fair, which brings more than 500,000 people to the Ann Arbor streets every July. For the directors, it’s a labor of love, and more than worth the countless hours to see the emotional and economic benefit to their beloved community. What began as a small-scale effort to bring summer income to a college town has, in the 62 years since the first collaboration between artists and retailers, blossomed into the largest juried art fair in the country. In fact, the Ann Arbor Art Fair is actually made up of three separate juried fairs run by different nonprofits working collaboratively over
“The amazing thing about having this event in a city like Ann Arbor is that there’s no shortage of food choices! Whatever your mood, you can find it. Thai food? Check! Italian? Check! Burgers? Check! Brunch? Check! And this year there’s a social district in the Main Street area, allowing you to purchase adult beverages while walking around that section of the fair. You could also stop and sit at any number of the restaurants that are co-mingled with the artists throughout the fair and get totally immersed in the experience!” —Karen Delhey
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