Felted Hats, Swirly Blue Glass, and Artist Selfies Part of Birmingham Street Art Fair
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 28, 2019)
Birmingham, MI – Seven year old Regan Stress was drawn to the purple and blue swirls of the textured glass panels in Christine Green’s booth at the Birmingham Street Art Fair.
“I’m redecorating my room,” she said. “I’m going from pink to blue.”
She and her mother Jill visited many booths, talking about the varied kinds of art that people create.
Among the booths were paintings and photography, sculptures, carvings, weavings, metal works, mosaics, jewelry, clothes, and of course pieces made of glass.
Regan picked a kid-sized masterpiece – a sky-colored night light – and posed with the artist for a picture.
Green told the Stresses that she lives in Florida and travels all around the country selling her art.
Another booth that was popular with kids and adults was a beautifully staged space featuring felted hats in a rainbow of colors.
Sierra Cole of Grand Rapids formerly worked for a newspaper and picked up the habit from her editor, whom she said was very fashionable. The hats are made by crocheting them, then washing so that the yarn frizzes just a bit and shrinks together, making for a warm and stylish hat with a lovely soft texture.
Anthony Brass of Ferndale also had a booth at the Birmingham Street Art Fair. His paintings feature nature-inspired scenes, including mushrooms and trees.
“I like the complexity of nature,” Brass said. “I go out and I make sketch books of things I see, then I use that for ideas.”
When asked what he gets out of making art, Brass said “It’s one of the things in life I’m drawn to, and when I finish I feel so much gratitude.”
He credited the book “The Secret of Trees” with inspiring him to slow down and appreciate nature more.
Thousands of people took time over the Sept. 14-15 weekend to slow down and appreciate the beautiful details presented by the artists on display, many of whom also bought works to support the artists.
The event raised money for Common Ground, an organization that helps “people move from crisis to hope” with a variety of services including support for victims of violence, mental health services, suicide prevention, and more. Learn about Common Ground at www.CommonGroundHelps.org.