October 16 – 18, 2009

The Great Lakes Art Fair at the Rock Financial Showplace offers fine artists and craftspeople and their patrons an expansive regional marketplace, as well as an early launch to the traditional holiday shopping season. The fall GLAF will take place Friday October 16- Sunday October 18, 2009 inside the sprawling “weather-free” Rock Financial Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave in Novi. Adults $7.00, Children 12 and under free of charge. Convenient free parking. The Fair is open Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.

The Fall Great Lakes Art Fair follows the successful debut Spring GLAF, combining exclusive and uncommon works from local, regional and national artists with a charming village marketplace setting, beautiful seasonal landscape display, and café with delicious fare provided by Epoch Catering. Groups are welcome, special discount coupons and other offers are available at www.greatlakesartfair.com

The Great Lakes Art Fair replaces the successful touring Sugarloaf Art Fair, which visited the area bi-annually for the past 10 years. “We were very pleased with the enthusiastic response from artists, sponsors and patrons to the Spring Fair” says Blair Bowman, Owner of the Rock Financial Showplace, “We had very positive feedback from all involved and we fully expect the Fall Great Lakes Art Fair to expand on every level.”

The GLAF is now one of the handful of annual events that are produced internally by the Rock Financial Showplace. Connie Mettler, a veteran of the art fair community since l979, consults the development of the Great Lakes Art Fair. Mettler’s career covers all facets of the industry, including artist management, exhibiting at over 400 art fairs, developing and supervising multiple events including small community art fairs, the Greektown Art Festival, the art component of Arts, Beats & Eats in Pontiac, and production manager for Motown Winter Blast Marketplace during the Super Bowl in Detroit. Her website, www.ArtFairCalendar.com, has been ranked #1 by Google.

“The timing has been ideal for the introduction of the new spring and fall Great Lakes Art Fairs,” says Mettler, “Over the past several years there has been a sizable reduction of large scale opportunities for artists in the region to showcase their work. The Great Lakes Art Fair represents a strong addition to the art fair schedule that helps to fill that void, and we hope patrons of the arts will come enjoy the unique opportunity to see and shop all these works in one easily accessible location.”

The Great Lakes Art Fair is presented in part by Dwyer and Sons Volvo-Subaru, the Detroit News Homestyle section, Epoch Catering, Visions Spa and Salon, Andiamo Italia, Bishop Design and Display and the Landscape Group

Fall Fair Features:

Entrance Garden Gallery: Entering the Fair, guests will enjoy select works by the GLAF’s most popular artists framed by towering walls of decorative foliage and creative displays. The Great Lakes Art Fair Garden Gallery presented through the courtesy of Bishop Display and Design and The Landscape Group.

Town Spa: Visions Spa Salon partners with the Great Lakes Art Fair to provide a salon and spa located on the show floor. Patrons and Artists alike are invited to enjoy luxurious treatments such as massages, make-up applications, manicures, pedicures and hair treatments while touring the Fair.

Marketplace Café: Award Winning Epoch Catering will be offering delicious fare in the Marketplace Café. As with the Spring GLAF, the menu features a variety of tempting bistro style items. The Marketplace Café anchors the center of the show floor and mirrors the look and feel of a cozy street café.

The Art of Food: The Great Lakes Art Fair adds a new medium this fall—edible art! The Art of Food is presented by Epoch Restaurant Group’s Tribute and Forte, as well as Andiamo Italia. Executive chefs from these highly renowned local restaurants will be demonstrating their artistry with fresh ingredients, creating delectable dishes for sampling throughout the show.

Generation Next Art Displays: Presented by the Detroit News Homestyle section, the Great Lakes Art Fair will again partner with local school districts to display student art across the show floor. A mission of the Fair is to give students recognition and a venue to showcase their work, as well as help them gain understanding and appreciation for the art industry and fair community as business endeavors. Art activities are also available for children attending the show.

Artist Demonstrations: Patrons will not only have the opportunity to purchase beautiful and original artwork; they will also have the opportunity to witness how these works are created. The Fair will feature dozens of ongoing artist demonstrations during the weekend in mediums including jewelry, glass, ceramics and other materials.