ANN ARBOR – It is with great excitement and after serious consideration, the directors of the: Ann Arbor Street Fair, The Original; the Ann Arbor State Street Art Fair; and the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair – the three fairs that comprise the Ann Arbor Art Fair – jointly announce the decision to move forward with producing this year’s 2021 Ann Arbor Art Fair.
In light of the recent announcement lifting the restrictions on outdoor events, the Fair Directors met with city officials, and the local health department and decided that a safe and successful event could be achieved after all. This year’s event will be three days rather than its originally planned four, running Thursday July 15 – Saturday July 17. Given the timing of this decision and with more limited resources, the directors felt it best to limit the event to three days and not have the show on Sunday.
Additionally this year’s event will include more space between booths to allow for social distancing, masks will be encouraged, and hand sanitizing stations will be throughout the fair.
Fair staff will also continue working closely with the health department to ensure the safety of the artists, fairgoers, staff, and everyone involved.
The three directors worked very hard to find a way to make this event happen and are thrilled to be able to bring this time honored tradition back to the streets of Ann Arbor.
“We were deeply discouraged when we had to cancel the event for a second year, but as soon as the outdoor event restrictions changed we came back to the drawing board to see if we could make it happen,” said Karen Delhey, director of the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair. “We received a great amount of encouragement from the community over the past couple of weeks and are grateful for the overwhelming amount of support local businesses and community partners have shown.”
With the event a little over a month away, the directors are seeking support from the community in the form of volunteers, sponsors, and temporary staff to make this event a success. If you are interested in participating in this capacity please email the fairs directly. We hope you will join us as one of Michigan’s finest summer traditions and one of the largest art fairs in the nation transforms downtown into an art lovers paradise. More information can be found at: theannarborartfair.com
The Ann Arbor Art Fair is a Midwest tradition that draws close to half a million attendees over four days in July. The largest juried art fair in the nation, the Ann Arbor Art Fair features nearly 1,000 artists and a footprint spanning 30 city blocks in downtown Ann Arbor. The Ann Arbor Art Fair is comprised of three independently juried, nonprofit art fairs that run consecutively: Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original; Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair; and Ann Arbor State Street Art Fair. For more information about the Ann Arbor Art Fair, please visit www.theannarborartfair.com.
