Ann Arbor State Street Area Art Fair Reviews..

I did this show last year for the first time and will never do it again. It was a nightmare and I barely made expenses. Booth fee is $600. and yet, they cannot pay for your $18./day parking. Brutal hours (10 AM- 9PM) plus had to take down and put up jewelry every night & morning. I think they have been around so long that they feel they can ride on their previous reputation & just don't care anymore.

Posted by: Jeni Engel-Conley | 03/28/2023 at 10:26 AM

Medium: Jewelry
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show:
2016
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $500
Price Range of your Work: $34-$200
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show:
1st time
Number of Years You have been doing Art Fairs overall: Forever...
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 3
Location: 3
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 3
Sales: 1
Overall: 2
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Poor
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
Great security, nice area for artists to cool off.

Bad Things about this Art Fair:
Unfortunately, this show was very poorly juried. There was 50% jewelry which helps no one. Plus, there were many booths that were purely crafty and didn't belong.

Several of the jewelers were not hand made. Jurors really need to do their homework when judging. There were several I knew that bought their components or pieces from catalogs.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
The overall quality was not good on certain streets. Be cautious if your a jeweler. We will not consider this show again. We did not cover our booth let alone travel expenses.

See my blog on ArtFairInsiders.com for additional commentary on this Show *
Yes, please note that on my review

Posted by: Niki Zeman | 07/25/2016 at 03:07 PM

Show Name: Ann Arbor State Street
City and State: Ann Arbor, MI
Your Medium: Photography
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $500 - $10,000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 2-3 times
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people

Good Things about this Art Fair: it brings in a lot of people

Bad Things about this Art Fair: it's always hot
Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: it's a long show bring help if you can

Posted by: Jim McCollum | 01/29/2012 at 03:01 PM

Show Name: State Street Area Art Fair
City and State: Ann Arbor, MI
Your Medium: 3D mixed media
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $5001-$10,000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 3-5 times
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people

Good Things about this Art Fair: Big crowds, easy setup when you consider how many of us are there for this huge event. Staff welcomes us with a nice dinner on setup day, indoor restrooms and lounge with a/c and snacks.

Bad Things about this Art Fair: Weather is always some issue with this show, this past one set records for heat.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: Bring an assistant if you normally work alone so you can get a break from the heat, keep hydrated! The hours are long as well so stamina is a must have trait.

Posted by: Steve Cebula | 01/07/2012 at 10:29 PM

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

Posted by: |

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Your comment could not be posted. Error type:

Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.