Art, eats and live music: These local artists will participate in Brighton's new art fair

BRIGHTON — A new art fair will see local and national artists in downtown Brighton, showcasing and selling their work.

The inaugural Brighton Street Art Fair runs Friday-Sunday, Aug. 23-25, on Main Street. In total, about 80 jury-selected artists will participate, alongside live music and art-making activities.

The fair runs 5-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Restaurants and shops adjacent to the Mill Pond will be open.

The Guild of Artists and Artisans is partnering with the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce to organize the fair. The Guild is a nonprofit organization, also responsible for the Ann Arbor Art Fair.

Karen Delhey, executive director of The Guild, moved to Brighton four years ago.

“I think this is an amazing community that would benefit from a well-juried fine art fair,” she said.

Live musicians include Ain't Dead Yet (5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday), Rochelle Clark (4-5 p.m. Saturday) and Lie. (6-8 p.m. Saturday).

Art mediums include drawing, painting, glass, wood, metal and jewelry — all at different price points.

“People will be able to find something for everyone,” Delhey said.

Artist Michael Monroe participated in the previous Brighton Art Show for nearly three decades, starting when he was 16. Monroe now serves on the board for The Guild. He's illustrated 30 children’s books and creates wildlife art.

More: 'I never lost interest': Brighton artist, illustrator has been painting since he was 10

“I’ll get up in the morning, walk straight to my studio and start painting for two, three, four hours,” Monroe said. "I love the process and I love the end result. The icing on the cake is when you can sell it.”

Monroe has high hopes for the Brighton Street Art Fair, saying Livingston County has always supported the arts.

“I couldn’t have made (a career in art) without all the support,” Monroe said. “They’ve been wonderful for me.”

Kelly O’Neill has lived in Brighton since 1996. She's been a full-time artist since 2018. O’Neill is a mixed media artist who uses recycled metal, ceramics and glass. She believes the new streetscape downtown will help draw visitors to the event. She was excited to hear The Guild is managing the event.

“They’ve demonstrated success in other art fairs in bringing good crowds, and Main Street is just outstanding,” O’Neill said.

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O’Neill said the best part about being an artist is being your own boss.

“There’s just so much freedom and joy in that process,” she said.

There will be overflow parking available at Brighton High School during the event. LETS will provide a shuttle to the fair. Learn more at theguild.org/fair/brightonstreetartfair .

— Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at esasiela@livingstondaily.com . Follow him on Twitter @SalsaEvan .

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Art, eats and live music: These local artists will participate in Brighton's new art fair