BROADCASTS.com

b'Blazing temps, a torrential storm, and thousands of passionate art aficionados reunited in Ann Arbor in July for the 2022 Ann Arbor Street Art Fair. Love it or leave it, this Midwest tradition draws close to half a million attendees over three days in July each year for browsing and shopping. It is the largest juried art fair in the nation with a footprint that spans some 30 city blocks in downtown Ann Arbor, extending onto the University of Michigan\'s campus. \\n\\nThe original Ann Arbor Street Art Fair dates to July 1960 when the town\'s merchants sought a way to offset the effects of the annual student exodus. Today\'s modern event comprises three fairs: \\n-- the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original; \\n-- the Guild\'s Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, \\n-- and the Ann Arbor State Street Art Fair. \\n\\nIn this episode of Listen in, Michigan, you\'ll meet Angela Kline, executive director of the Original. An artist herself, she worked for years marketing the textiles artist Chris Roberts Antieau, managing galleries in New Mexico and New Orleans, producing a documentary, and, yes, staffing the artist\'s booth at the Ann Arbor fair for nearly a decade. \\n\\nAs an artist-friendly executive director following in the steps of longtime leader Maureen Riley, Kline brings valuable perspective to the artist/vendor experience. She describes the fair as a "jewel in Ann Arbor\'s crown." \\n\\nWhether you\'re a fan who delights in the organized chaos or a curmudgeon who leaves town for a week, the fair likely was a large part of your Ann Arbor experience. Listen in, as we walk through the crowds, mingling with some of the most brilliant talents on the planet -- and loving our town because of it. The art featured here is a self-portrait by Michigan painter Armando Pedroso.'