Saturday
& Sunday September 20 and 21
Ferndale
Goes DIY
Ferndale's
First Annual DIY Street Fair: 105 exhibitors,
36 bands, 12 breweries, 6 restaurants, 2 days,
1 location, 0 limits
The
first annual DIY Street Fair 2008 is
coming to Ferndale this September. The unique
event celebrates the Do It Yourself spirit with
a two-day festival featuring local artists,
businesses, breweries, handmade crafters, locally
produced food, film makers, record labels and
live bands.
The DIY Street Fair takes place on September
20 and 21, 2008 in the Southeast quadrant of
9 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue in Ferndale,
Michigan, simultaneously with the 2008 Ferndale
Fine Arts Festival.
The
idea for the festival began when Chris Johnston,
the DIY committee chair, realized the self-driven
and individual enterprising nature of the residents
enhances his local quality of life. "On
a daily bases I'm always finding out and am
fascinated by people's many skills and talents,"
says Johnston. "We want to provide an outlet
for people's creativity in an inexpensive and
non-intimidating way."
The
DIY Street fair director, Carey Gustafson, is
a good example of who you can expect to see
exhibiting at the fair. She is the co-founder
of Handmade Detroit and Defying the Law Bicycle
Club and produces the annual Zombie Dance Party.
"From photographers to farmers, herbalists
to cyclists, woodworkers to beekeepers, the
fair gives people an opportunity to share their
passions, interests and most of all their DIY
spirit," says Gustafson.
Other
members of the steering committee include an
eclectic collection of artists, independent
business owners, community leaders, designers
and more.
In addition to Gustafson and Johnston, the committee
is comprised of Detroit Derby Girl Tina Iulianelli;
Aaron Timlin of the Contemporary Art Institute
of Detroit (CAID); Marketing & Promotions
Manager of Majestic Theater & Magic Stick,
Phil Childers; Kerry Moore, president of Context
Furniture MFG and co-founder of Design Democracy
'08; Kristin von Bernthal, web designer and
independent business owner; and Heather Carmona,
Executive Director of the Woodward Avenue Action
Association.
Johnston,
who is a partner in the WAB and The Emory, and
also manager of the popular musical group The
Hard Lessons, has used his connections to tap
into great local musical acts for the free concerts.
Bands committed to performing include the local
TV heroes from the 2007 show "Next Great
American Band" the Muggs, along with Nice
Device and the Hard Lessons among others.
Vendor
and exhibitor applications are being accepted
through August 28, 2008 and are available on
the DIY Street Fair website at www.diystreetfair.com.
Press
Contact: Carey Gustafson at (248) 752-7627 or
diystreetfair@yahoo.com
The
Ann Arbor Art Center is a non-profit organization
dedicated to engaging the community in the education,
exhibition, and exploration of the visual arts.
Founded in 1909, the Ann Arbor Art Center is
Michigan’s third oldest arts organization.
117
W. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, 734-994-8004
