Ann Arbor Street Art Fair - The Original

Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original has connected art, artists, and community for over 65 years. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, we believe original fine art and fine craft have the power to enrich lives, spark conversation, and strengthen the bonds that make a community thrive.

Each July, we transform 30 blocks of downtown Ann Arbor into the largest juried outdoor art fair in the United States — welcoming nearly half a million visitors and showcasing hundreds of local, national, and international artists. But our mission extends well beyond those three days. Through year-round arts education programs, youth initiatives, and artist advocacy, we work to ensure that access to art is equitable and enduring.

We are artists, educators, volunteers, and neighbors — united by a belief that creativity is essential, not optional.

Founded in 1960 as the first of Ann Arbor's now-iconic concurrent art fairs, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original has spent more than six decades championing the belief that original art belongs in public life — accessible to everyone, not just the few.

Every July, we bring together hundreds of juried artists from across the country and around the world, transforming the tree-lined streets and campus of the University of Michigan into a vibrant, open-air gallery. Nearly half a million visitors come to browse, connect, and experience the kind of authentic creative expression that only original fine art and fine craft can offer. No reproductions. No shortcuts. Just art, made by hand, by artists who care deeply about their work.

But we are more than an annual event. We are a year-round nonprofit organization committed to arts education and community engagement. Through programs like our Youth Art Fair and The Original Art Pack, we nurture the next generation of artists and art lovers. Through our New Art New Artists (NANA) initiative, we open doors for emerging talent. And through our Fountain Stage and community programming, we ensure the fair is a welcoming, joyful space for everyone who walks through it.

We serve artists seeking a world-class, supportive venue for their work. We serve collectors, families, students, and first-time fairgoers discovering a passion they didn't know they had. And we serve our broader Ann Arbor community — a city that has made art a cornerstone of its identity.

Our values — community, diversity, quality, education, creativity, and originality — are not just words on a page. They guide every decision we make, from which artists we invite to how we train our 150 volunteers, to the programs we build for Ann Arbor Public School students.

If you join our team, you won't just be working for an art fair. You'll be part of something that has shaped this city for generations — and that is just getting started.