Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Visit The Ann Arbor Art Fair In Michigan

It is getting close to the time for the annual Ann Arbor art fair and I am getting excited!  This year the fair is held from July 20 - 23.  The hours open are Wednesday through Friday - 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m.

Artists from all over the nation will be selling their creations in the highly selective booths of about 175.  Ann Arbor's fair was first established in 1960 and has been growing in attendees ever since with last year being at about 500,000.

Each year the fair features an artist and sells a poster and t-shirts with the current theme.  I like this year's poster:
The empty pants mean more than just pants hanging on a line.  They have a special meaning in that they signify the human character and presence without a literal figure.
I have to admit that I don't think that deeply when looking at art and would probably hang this in my laundry room.  I do, however, like the simple art and it's always fun to see the new poster each year.

In the past, I have purchased several great items at this art fair.  Most of them have been pottery.  Here are a few of the examples of what I have found:
This apple and plate go perfectly on my breakfast nook table:

My chair cushions, wall art, and wall swag all have fruit on them as well and in the same color scheme.  It's like the artist made this just for me!

Two more items I found go perfectly in my living room and coordinate well with my wild and crazy rug:
You can see that this little tray on my end table coordinates with the rug below:
And I even found a pottery shelf that is low profile and a perfect addition behind my sofa:

So, needless to say, I am excited to see what I can find this year that will practically be custom made.  I normally don't find items in a store so unique and I now know why the Ann Arbor art fair was voted number one in the country by American Style magazine in 2004.  And, since then it has been in the top ten fairs and festivals every year.  The fact that the jury process is highly selective leads to great quality art for the consumer.

If you get a chance, make sure to visit Ann Arbor, Michigan and their annual art fair.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

love the way you decorate!

New blog follower! Come follow back and enter my great giveaways! http://www.peacelovepoop.com

Katherines Corner said...

How fun, We have a lot of art festivals in my area. I hope one day to go to this one. My husband is from Michigan and all of his family is there. Wouldn't it be great to go at this time of year. I can't wait to see what you bring home this year. Hugs!

Renee Hanlon said...

Katherine,
I hope you get a chance to go! Summer is a great time to visit Michigan with the great beaches on the west side :)