New year, new artists

ANN ARBOR – When you already hold one of the largest outdoor art fairs in the country, there's not much else you can add, except new artists.
"There's always a sense of change every year," said Max Clayton, executive director for The Guild of Artists and Artisans, the organization that holds the Ann Arbor Art Fair. "Artists are always experimenting. They're always doing something new. No matter how many times you've been to the fair, I will guarantee you you'll see an artist you've never seen before."
This year's fair, which will take place July 19-22, will feature the eclectic selection, from pottery to paintings to photography, it's been known to sell for nearly 50 years.
Hour Detroit magazine named the fair the Best Ann Arbor Festival. "It keeps getting better and better and nowhere can you find an art fair with artists with so much quality," Clayton says.
The Guild works on the festival all year long through a highly organized and detailed regime. "There's lots and lots of details, but it's a lot of fun," Clayton says. "It's putting together a great big puzzle but it's one we've put together so many times we're really good at it. É It may be the only time during the year we see these artists."
Many fair attendees and Guild employees share a special bond, one that doesn't exist at any museum, with the artists at the festival. "They're really important to us," she says. "We have a very strong emotional connection with them."
But there's more than just art. The festival is known for its lively street corner entertainment, children activities and the eclectic mix of shops and restaurants in downtown Ann Arbor.