Behind the scenes at Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original's jury session

ANN ARBOR – What goes into selecting artists to feature their work at the Ann Arbor Art Fair?

What many people might not realize is that it's actually four fairs rolled into one. In fact, its tagline is "Four Fairs, One Event."

The fair consists of:

• Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original
• Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair - The Guild
• State Street Art Fair
• South University Art Fair

Each fair has its own unique selection process and its own vibe. 

Last week, I observed the jurying session of the largest fair, The Guild.

This week, I sat on the sidelines of the jury for the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original and it was riveting.

Executive director Maureen Riley explains how the jurying process works (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)

Known for being the most exclusive fair, featuring artists whose work has a high price tag attached, this fair is located on North University and Ingalls Mall.

It has a total of 205 spaces, and 60 artists are re-invited each year. 

Artists are re-invited either by winning an award, or by being hand selected by members of the Jury Advisory Board, who browse the art fair and are impressed with certain artists' works and booths.

But the invite isn't indefinite; it lasts only three years. Therefore, every four years, artists have to reapply to get into the fair. This year, drawing, painting and printmaking artists fell into that category.

According to executive director Maureen Riley, The Original is the highest-end fair. It only accepts original artwork and it tends to feel more like an exhibition gallery than a gift shop.

She told me that one artist in particular only brings 20 handmade clay pots with intricate designs to his booth each year, and he sells them for between $20,000 and $100,000 each, depending on the size and hours put into the pot.

Amazingly, people line up outside his booth at 9 a.m. every year to buy his pots, which cost as much as a brand-new car (or five).

Unlike other fairs, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original, selects jurors that do not participate in the Ann Arbor Art Fair.

The jury panel for the 3-D art submissions on February 11, 2018 (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)

Instead, they research artists with extensive backgrounds, preferably in academia, to judge the submissions.

The final decisions are made at a later meeting, where the fair's staff and a juror from each session discuss the final lineup.

In the two jury sessions on which I sat in -- the 3-D art and the jury for jewelry, fiber and metal works -- members of the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State University faculty were jurors.

Juries were also relatively small. On the first day, there were five, on the second, four, thanks to rescheduling due to the massive snow this past weekend.

Before the scoring process began, jurors were shown the works of the artists who were invited back this year to give them an idea of the identity and quality standard of the fair.

According to Riley, works should be judged based on technique, design, originality and inventiveness, artistic merit, color and texture.

The jurying process of each medium happened in three stages:

• Visual - Jurors were shown all of the works in a row to absorb the entries as a whole.
• Scoring
• Discussion - Jurors discussed and debated the works that were judged to be on the fence.

The discussions of some work lasted minutes, with jurors comparing techniques, skill, originality, appeal and functionality.

Works that I would gladly purchase and found very beautiful were often unanimously scored low. It was obvious the jurors were looking much closer than the average consumer eye does.

Other work submitted was by students or former students of the jurors, putting them in a difficult position. I wondered if it helps or hurts the artist if their teacher is judging their works? 

How can you be objective when you've seen both the artist's past successes and their failures, and know their strengths and weaknesses?

Luckily, there is another option for students. 

The fair's New Art, New Artists, or NANA, program, uses a similar jury process to select up to eight exceptional college student artists to show their works at the art fair each year.

So what happens to artists who don't quite make the cut?

Artists who scored just below the entry threshold are put on a large waitlist that spans across all media.

Riley told the group that many artists will accept invitations to show in other fairs if they are put on the waitlist for the Street Art Fair, The Original.

Another fun fact: Each year, the fair commissions an artist to create a piece incorporating University of Michigan's Burton Tower. 

Riley said she is amazed every year by how artists interpret the project differently.

I'm looking forward to spotting this year's Burton Tower piece, and to seeing the exquisite works presented to this week's jury in person this summer.