Art Activities, Music, and more!
Summer Sounds – Live Entertainment Stage on Main
The Stage on Main is presented by DTE, featuring one of the top music clubs in the world, The Ark, a non-profit organization presenting the best of traditional and contemporary live music in downtown Ann Arbor over 300 nights each year. At The Ark, performers and audiences connect in a state-of-the-art listening room for an intimate music experience. We’re excited to bring a sampling of what we do year-round outside to the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair Summer Sounds Stage on Main!
Located at the corner of Main & William in the parking lot next to Palio Restaurant.
Performance Schedule: TBA
Chalk the Walk with David Zinn
Chalk the Walk is presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union, featuring Ann Arbor’s own world-renown Artist David Zinn. Recognized globally for his clever and improvised chalk street art, Zinn will be creating his original temporary chalk work live during the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair event. Sidewalk chalk will be available so that fairgoers can join in on the creativity and add their own mark on this year’s Ann Arbor Art Fair.
HOURS: TBA
We Bear [US]: International debut at Ann Arbor Art Fair of unique UK and US prison art exhibit.
Location at Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair: TBA
In the depths of the covid pandemic lockdown, 31 people isolated in prisons in the UK and US produced extraordinary artworks exploring personal experiences of incarceration. Artist Faye Claridge sent each participant a letter inviting creative responses to the Warwickshire symbol of the chained bear. She paired two folk art paintings from the two countries*, showing different treatment of captive bears. These, as metaphors, provided inspiration for the remarkable artworks presented in We Bear.
The We Bear artworks were made in the most difficult of circumstances, in the middle of a global pandemic, and communicate sincerely a range of experiences of being incarcerated.
They were created for a one-off exhibition in the UK, with Coventry Biennial, and attracted a staggering 52,068 visitors. Engagement from audiences and everyone involved has been astonishing, participants said they grew from the professional feedback and personal development in the opportunity and the results they produced are breath-taking.
In response, Arts Council England has extended project support, allowing We Bear to travel to the US and be showcased at the hugely popular Ann Arbor Art Fair.
The Prison Creative Arts Project, based at Michigan University, has been a partner in the project from the start and is now collaborating as co-curator for the Art Fair exhibit. Its team will also be running workshops and events within the fair program, for visitors to find inspiration and take part, thanks to support from The Guild of Artists and Artisans.
*The two folk art paintings inspiring participants’ responses are Man Feeding A Bear An Ear of Corn (1840, American Folk Art Museum, New York) and Bear Baiting (1830s, Compton Verney Art gallery & Park, Warwickshire).