Ugandan Bark Cloth Painting and Welded T-Rex Among Hazel Park Art Fair Finds
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 30, 2021)
Hazel Park, MI – “You’re kind of rad(ish),” and “Oat in a Boat,” are among the creative phrases that have been immortalized in print and shared with the world by Clawson-based artist Mady Chen.
Like dozens of other local artists, Chen had a booth at the annual Hazel Park Art Fair which graces Green Acres Park for one weekend each summer. It was only Chen’s second art fair, and she enjoyed selling custom-printed journals, greeting cards, and mugs.
“I love it,” Chen said. “I have an Etsy shop, but this is different because I get to interact with the people looking at my work. My favorite thing is people asking if I am the artist.”
The block-print designs are carved into rubber blocks before being used like a stamp on the various products. “I had a couple that bought a journal. They had minored in print-making in college, and they talked with me and gave me tips.”
Art fair interactions can help local artists gain confidence. Jeff Lockhart is an introverted artist who pushes himself to come and put his work out there. He’s a commercial welder who grew his artistic side by making little creatures and designs with his torch. “It started with sheer boredom,” he said. “One day I just started sketching with the torch. Then I started working on railroad bolts, adding features drip by drip.” His favorite is a large T-Rex dinosaur he made for his son.
The Huntington Woods man comes from an artistic family, with his father being a professional watercolor artist and illustrator. “We’d sit in our own areas and he’d give us assignments,” he said, recalling summers in Frankfort and sketch pads on the beach.
His sisters pursued more creative paths, but Lockhart was happy to come back to art and make it his own. “My first piece I made was a little t-rex skeleton for my son when he was young.” With themes of animals, faces, nature, space creatures and more, Lockhart’s collection gives passers-by reasons to smile. “I love seeing the reactions on people’s faces. Kids get really excited.”
For those that like their artsy metals a little more sparkly, Christin Borowski and her Hypnotica booth offered rings and necklaces with stones and crystals. She also has woven henna bracelets that decorate one’s hands. “I love the way it looks,” she said. “It’s like a second layer of skin.” To fit the sleeves on has to pull the main string towards one’s heart and make a wish.
Borowski has been doing art fairs for 21 years. Her advice for other artists would be to “be patient with yourself and your process. It doesn’t come overnight.”
In addition to local artists, Hazel Park Art Fair welcomed artwork from Uganda. James Green went to Uganda as a Marine in 2012 and developed friendships with local artists. “There is no tourism in Uganda, so it’s very hard for local artists to sell their work,” he said. After leaving the Marines he started a nonprofit that helps provide clean drinking water in Uganda. He sells imported Ugandan art and donates 25% of the profits to the group, called Buckets of Water. At his booth were woodcarvings and paintings done on bark paper.
Also among the booths were community groups and resources for visitors. Oakland Hope was on hand with school supplies for kids and resources on voting and employee rights. My Place, a mental health center in Oak Park, had participants on hand to talk about their support groups, recovery groups, and resources for those with mental health challenges. “This is a good place to socialize and not isolate,” said Ella Taylor-White who serves on the board. “We have a computer lab, an art room, holiday functions, Forgotten Harvest, and breakfast each morning.”
Visitors were able to enjoy the art, learn from the resources, savor local food trucks, listen to live music, and watch aerial performers.
For more on the Hazel Park Art Fair visit www.hpartfair.org.