RESOURCES:
State Street District Art Fair
The Ann Arbor Art Fair on Facebook
The Ann Arbor Art Fair on X (Twitter)
The Ann Arbor Art Fair on Instagram
TRANSCRIPTION:
Caroline MacGregor: This is 89.1 WEMU. I'm Caroline MacGregor. And today, we are speaking with Frances Todoro-Hargreaves. She's the Interim Director of the Ann Arbor State Street District Art Fair. And she's going to tell us all about what to expect this year. Welcome, Frances!
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: Thank you for having me!
Caroline MacGregor: I'd like to ask you specifically about the State Street District Art Fair. I know the Art Fair, as a whole, is comprised of three art fairs.
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: Yes, it is. That's right.
Caroline MacGregor: Tell me a little bit about that, if you would, the three, and then we'll focus on the State Street District Art Fair.
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: Sure. So, the fair started just over 60 years ago with the Street Art Fair, which is now called the Street Art Fair, the Original. And our fair started 57 years later. So, we were right behind them. And we are actually a neighborhood association for the business owners. And what the business owners decided is that, "Hey, there was this fair that was started on South U. to help those businesses." So, the ones on State Street wanted to start one too. And that's why our fair is the one fair that still has the retailers come out and do sidewalk sales with the artists in the street.
Caroline MacGregor: So, it would seem that the difference is really the retailers and, as you mentioned, the neighborhood association that organizes this. But what other things make this art fair stand out?
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: I think what makes ours really different is the diversity. So, not only do we have fine artists who jury in to the fair, just similar to the other two fairs, we also have our members. Like I said, we do have restaurants that come out into the area, but we also have our retailers that come down into the street, so Bivouac, Rally House, Ragstock, all of those retail sellers will also be in the street with their tents, having clearance sales and other fun stuff for people to look at. We also have a third section called the marketplace, which is crafters or some other like buy-sell marketplace-type vendors who do not qualify to be in the Art Fair itself but still have a good product that folks enjoy. So, we have that section also, which the other two fairs do not have.
Caroline MacGregor: I see. And with the process for the juried artists, how does this take place? Is it done at the same time as the overall Art Fair, or is your State Street District Art Fair done separately with regard to the juried process?
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: We each do them separately, but they're within the same months. Ours is in March. I believe the other two fairs might be before us, but we each do our own.
Caroline MacGregor: And for the State Street District Art Fair, do you have a specific number of artists who are participating in this year's event?
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: Yeah. So, for our juried artists, we have 246 in our section.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay. And how many applied?
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: When I was there, we received, for the 250 spots about, we would get about 450 applications.
Caroline MacGregor: I want to touch on the benefits for the community. Obviously, generally speaking, there has to be a huge economic incentive for the city to hold this fair. What does the State Street District Art Fair mean for the local community?
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: It's a huge economic driver for the downtown. It's summer, and the whole reason it was started was because it was summer and the university was closed, the students were gone, it was very quiet, so it helped basically put that injection of economic vibrancy in the middle of the summer to help businesses get through that slow time, and that's what it still does. You know, people joke that the downtown businesses have four events through the year. It's move-in, football, graduation, and Art Fair. And those are the big things for the downtown business. And, really, that's actually held true for all these years. Many of our retailers, their business model, is based on Art Fair. It's based on the fact that they can buy product. Whatever they don't sell while the students are here, they will clearance out during the Art Fair, and that will leave them space to buy new inventory for when the students arrive in September. We also have folks, some of our restaurants where they hit that lull, and it's like, "Okay, those four days or three days, they're going to make all our money back," That maybe visitors weren't coming during the early part of July or June.
Caroline MacGregor: And did it surprise you that this event became as big as it has done so over the years?
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: You know, I wasn't here when it grew. I mean, I came to Ann Arbor in 1999, and it was already this big. So, it's been just something that the community still likes to have, and the artists still come. So, as long as it's working, it's just been an amazing event!
Caroline MacGregor: If you're just tuning in, I am speaking today with Frances Todoro-Hargreaves. She's the Interim Director of the Ann Arbor State Street District Art Fair, and we're just learning about all the things that you can expect and the fun ahead that's happening this week here in Ann Arbor. There's a lot of competition for artists, but what an opportunity for all of them! You know, this is just such a opportunity to showcase their talent!
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: Oh, absolutely! And the artists know how many people we get here and what traffic is like as far as customers. So, they love coming, and they all talk about the Ann Arbor Art Fair when they're on their circuit. It really is an opportunity to just get a lot of people to see your art in a short amount of time. That's one good thing that the pandemic did is it really got a lot of these artists to be online. And so now, there's just so many reoccurring customers that they can get.
Caroline MacGregor: Does this art fair that we're talking about, the State Street District Art Fair, does it also have some events leading up to the actual day that the fair kicks off?
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: Yes. So, we are part of "Paint the Town," which is on Tuesday evening, 5-9, so we'll have our streets will be closed starting Tuesday. We'll have the Tuesday night event, and there'll be pickleball, there'll be a DJ, a magician, so there'll be a lot of stuff going on in the downtown during that time. And then, on Wednesday is when the artists come in and set up.
Caroline MacGregor: And as far as the area that the State Street District Art Fair encompasses, what is the overall radius of this Art Fair?
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: It's 34 downtown blocks. So, it goes all the way from Main Street to, where is it, all the way out South University towards Geddes.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay. And I know that every year that Art Fair arrives, that's obviously a huge undertaking for the city. And there's a lot of effort that goes into keeping people safe during this time as well. We've got the weather to keep in mind, and I know there's an alert system that people can check on their phones, but there's also, I believe, there's water bottle stations throughout the city and in or the area at least. What are the safety measures that are in place?
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: So, we do have the weather warning system. We also have extensive barricades set up. In post-New Orleans, which the event that occurred there on New Year's, we have tightened up the barricade's entering the fair area. So, that was a big endeavor that police and fire took on this year. So, you'll see a lot of changes towards when you enter the fair from the street and seeing how the intersections are fortified. But we have water stations throughout. They're indicated on the Art Fair map, which you could pick up at the fair or online at annarborartfair.com. And we also have Huron Valley ambulance is stationed and the Street Art Fair by the Ingalls Mall. So, they're on site for anyone, for any trip-and-falls, heat exhaustion, anything like that that goes on at the event.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay. So, it sounds like they're all very well prepared. It's taken a huge amount of effort to set this all up. And, yes, it's a sad thing in a way that we're in a society today where we have to have so many precautions in place. And as you mentioned, the New Orleans terrorist attack there, or at least what happened with that vehicle, and it was just shocking. But hopefully, it sounds like everything's going to be really well monitored for the Ann Arbor Art Fair.
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: Yes!
Caroline MacGregor: So, that's a wonderful thing!
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: Yes, it is! And also, the safety services, so police, fire, and emergency management, are set up in Liberty Plaza, which is at Division and Liberty. And you can always go in there, and the kids can get badge stickers and get to talk to police and fire. It's usually a lot of fun for the kids!
Caroline MacGregor: Anything else that you would like the public to know about the State Street District Art Fair?
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: No, just that it's going to be a good time. Bring your water bottle, your comfortable shoes, and really just look forward to having a good time!
Caroline MacGregor: I've been speaking with the Interim Director of the Ann Arbor State Street District Art Fair, Frances Todoro-Hargreaves. Thank you for joining me today!
Frances Todoro-Hargreaves: Thank you!
Caroline MacGregor: I'm Caroline McGregor, and this is 89.1 WEMU-FM Ypsilanti.
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