See Paintings, Ceramics, Glass Works, & More at the Ann Arbor Art Fair

Downtown Ann Arbor will be packed with artists showcasing and selling their work from July 21-23 as a part of the city’s annual Art Fair. At this year’s event, nearly 1,000 artists from across the globe will present an array of different works ranging from painting, jewelry, ceramic, glass, sculpture, mixed media, and more. The fair also features a variety of activities, live entertainment, and food vendors.

The Ann Arbor Art Fair is the largest juried art fair in the country and is a combination of three separate juried art fairs: the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, the Ann Arbor State Street Art Fair, and the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original.  All three fairs work together to put on the fair and continue to help artists recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Supporting artists is what this fair is all about. And as artists continue to recover from a few uncertain years, the Ann Arbor Art Fair serves as a great opportunity for them to showcase their art to a passionate audience of art enthusiasts and novice collectors,” says Karen Delhey, director of the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, in a press release. “To the visitors, the Ann Arbor Art Fair is a chance to get back out into the community to enjoy a much-celebrated tradition and anticipated event. It will be a fun three days full of art, music, and more.”

This year’s fair will feature David Zinn, a world-famous chalk artist from Ann Arbor. As a part of his Chalk the Walk activity, Zinn will be chalking live from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday. There will also be space and chalk available for attendees to make their own creations alongside Zinn.

The We Bear art exhibit also makes its international debut at this year’s fair. The exhibit explores the personal experiences of 31 different prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic. It uses the treatment of captive bears as a metaphor for their time and treatment in prison.

There will also be live musical performances across three different stages.  The performers include Dani Darling, a jazzy singer-songwriter from Ann Arbor; folk singer-songwriter Brooke Annibale; the Detroit-based band The Whiskey Charmers; Jared Deck, an Americana music artist from Oklahoma; and more. Meanwhile, food vendors will offer a large variety of options, including barbecue, tacos, Asian street food, shawarma, American, and more.

The fair is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free. Several parking structures in the area offer parking at $18 per day and $9 after 5 p.m. Shuttle services are available as well at Huron High School and Briarwood Mall that run every 10-15 minutes and are $5 per round trip.

For more information, visit theannarborartfair.com