The Guild of Artists and Artisans Hosts A2 Artoberfest

More than 100 jury-selected artists displayed their work in Kerrytown for the fourth-annual A2 Artoberfest, hosted by The Guild of Artists and Artisans on Saturday and Sunday. The event also featured local food and drink vendors, live music, and art activities for families. Event attendees enjoyed all the fair had to offer in the fall weather and a more intimate setting than the larger Ann Arbor Art Fair.

Beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, community members sipped on morning drinks from vendors like Bearclaw Coffee Co., and browsed the various art stands while listening to handpan performances from Daniel Dinay.  

Pharmacy student Gretta Mahowald told The Michigan Daily she decided to come to Artoberfest to enjoy local art with a friend from out of town.

“(I attended) on the recommendations of one of my classmates,” Mahowald said. “I have a friend in town for the weekend, and I was looking for something to do. Everything is so beautiful, it makes me wish I had more money.”

In the afternoons and evenings of the festival, community members enjoyed food trucks like Chapala and Cousins Maine Lobster, while having access to a variety of other drink options, such as craft cocktails from Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

The event had extended hours on Saturday night from 6 to 8 p.m. where community members continued enjoying food and drinks while listening to live music from ain’t dead yet, a local band, and enjoying the displays. The festivities continued on Sunday morning.

Artoberfest was designed to be a zero-waste event in order to reduce its environmental impact. The Guild provided recycling bins and small waste bins around the event space, and artists and vendors were given educational materials and guidelines to follow in order to support the fair’s goals. 

Anthony Brass, featured artist of the event, told The Daily that events like the A2 Artoberfest allow him to share his life-long passion for art.

“My art is really just an expression of the beauty I see in the world, and just being alive,” Brass said. “I take that beauty, and it’s all nature-based, and bring it into my artwork and share it with others. … It’s like a dream come true for me to be able to make my career painting.”

Artoberfest allows community members to enjoy art while supporting local artists, according to Theresa Schmid, communications manager for The Guild of Artists and Artisans.

“We’re driven by the desire to provide opportunity for the local arts community to really thrive, for people to have a space where they can connect directly with the artists selling their work,” Schmid said. “Then the artists themselves have that space to be able to make their work more well known and sell it and make it so that they can sustain their artistic careers.”

The fair hosted a variety of artists using different mediums including jewelry, ceramics, painting, glass, photography, fiber and more. Brass discussed the importance of this diversity in art, and gave advice to aspiring student artists, emphasizing staying true to oneself.

“Be genuine and find yourself through your art, and don’t try to become someone else, because true art comes from within and is genuine,” Brass said. “People really resonate, and can see someone who has genuine passion for what they do, and (when) they’re creating something that’s them and not a copy of something else.”

Daily Staff Reporter Elizabeth Stafford can be reached at libstaf@umich.edu.

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