ANN ARBOR, Michigan — It’s almost time for the Ann Arbor Art Fair. In other words, the streets of the city will soon be filled not only with art, but also with music and entertainment.
The annual trade fair directors announced the event’s art, music and entertainment line-up. Spanning about 30 blocks and drawing nearly half a million people to downtown Ann Arbor, his annual art fair runs from Thursday, July 20th through Saturday, July 22nd.
read more: Ann Arbor Art Fair returns for three days in July with nearly 1,000 artists
“I have been involved with the Ann Arbor Art Fair for 18 years and it continues to get bigger and better each year,” Karen Delhay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, said in a statement.
The 2023 Ann Arbor Art Fair will feature a variety of performances on three different stages.
main stageLocated on the corner of Main and William Streets, the event features artists affiliated with The Ark (316 S. Main St.) and provides a sample of what The Ark brings to Ann Arbor throughout the year. The lineup includes:
Thursday, July 20th
- 6pm – Natalie May
- 7:30pm – Never Wrong Sons
Friday, July 21st
- 11am – Youth Arts Alliance and Sustainability
- Noon – Voices of the Underheard with Laitr
- 1:00 p.m. – Michigans Call for Prison Reform
- 2pm – AFSC Band
- 3pm – on our own terms
- 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- 7:30 p.m. – Jeffrey Martin and Anna Tiber
Saturday, July 22nd
- 11am – Lauren Blackford
- 11:30 am – Taylene Tolliver
- Noon – Entrepreneurship Center Lightning Round
- 12:30pm – DJ Rocks
- 1pm – Graham Lockwood
- 1:30pm – DJ Rocks
- 2pm – Mekhi Mitchell and the WTMC Music Society
- 2:30pm Entrepreneurship Center – Final Round
- 3pm – Ypsilanti Youth Orchestra
- 4:30pm – Loud Chorus
- 6pm – Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective and Blues House
fountain stage, Ingall Small, between East Washington Street and North University Street, will feature an abundance of acoustic, classical and jazz performances, with a focus on student and community music groups. The lineup includes:
Thursday, July 20th
- 11am – Sam Olive
- Noon – Kathy Wieland and Lauren Crane
- 1pm – Adam Laveau
- 2pm – WCC Artists
- 3:00pm – Cheolsigye
- 4pm – Jim Smith and Dave Keaney
- 5pm – Danny Klein
- 6pm – Tim Monger with special guest Carol Katherine
Friday, July 21st
- 11am – Rebecca Cameron
- Noon – Angela Predom
- 1:00 PM – Young People’s Theater Musical Theater Show Choir
- 2pm – Jon Lamb
- 3pm – warehouse jam
- 4pm – Michel Held
- 5pm – Rochelle Clarke
- 6pm – Billy King
Saturday, July 22nd
- 11am – Amy Grace
- Noon – Lily McPhee
- 1pm – Matt Truman Acoustic (by Matt Truman Ego Trip)
- 2pm – Annie and Rod Capps
- 3pm – Laura Rousseau
- 4pm – Indie Rock Royalty
- 5pm – Shannon Lee Trio
- 6pm – Phoebe Holmes (Keynote Sisters)
of William Street Stage A new stage at the corner of Maynard and William Streets featuring local professional and amateur musicians. The lineup includes:
Thursday, July 20th
- 2pm – Solar Cafe
- 3:00 p.m. Ypsilanti Library Guitar and Uke Club
- 4pm – Laurel Federbush
- 5pm – Wind Quintet with Kaia Skaggs
- 6pm – TBA
- 7pm – Jazz Organ Trio (Danny Tyrell, Steve Summers, Duane Wells)
Friday, July 21st
- 2pm – Summers Sisters
- 3:00 p.m. Ypsilanti Youth Orchestra Jazz Combo
- 4pm – TBA
- 5pm – TBA
- 6pm – Broken Arrow Blues Band
- 7:00 PM – WCC Jazz Ensemble
Saturday, July 22nd
- noon – undecided
- 1pm – Mercury Salad
- 2:00 PM – Memphis Thrillbillies
- 3pm – Knit Pickers
- 4pm – TBA
- 17:00-na bonsai (temporary)
- 6pm – Deep Steam Band
- 7pm – Steve Summers Band and Valerie Barrymore
Exhibitions and other activities are also held. They include:
Canadian Inuit artist
Feheley Fine Arts presents a group exhibition within CultureVerse (309 S. Main St.) to celebrate Inuit contemporary art in Canada.
Prison Creative Arts Project
The Prison Creative Arts Project presents the exhibition “Humanize the Numbers” at the corner of Liberty and Main Streets. It presents the perspective of men in Michigan prisons, revealing their faces and stories through photographs.
Ann Arbor Potters Guild
The Potters Guild hosts live pottery demonstrations on North University Avenue near the Hill Auditorium lawn each day during the fair.
Toledo Museum of Art
The Toledo Museum of Art hosts daily glassblowing demonstrations on East Washington Street in Ingalls Mall at the University of Michigan.
Live painting with Keith Bynum
Keith Bynum, artist and star of HGTV’s bargain block, has painted a mural in a storage container on Liberty Street outside the Pretzel Bells restaurant. Completed preservation containers are available for purchase at an online auction, with all proceeds going to the Ann Arbor Art Fair.
Works by David Zinn
Ann Arbor resident David Zinn creates temporary chalk creations live on Liberty Street near Division Street Thursdays and Saturdays from 1-3pm.
listen to the boogie woogie pianist
Boogie-woogie pianist Mark Lincoln Brown, named Mr. B, has been providing music to the Ann Arbor Art Fair for 40 years and will be appearing at the Boogie-Woogie Piano Lounge on North University Avenue.
Learn more about the Ann Arbor Art Fair online or find the full list of participating artists here.
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