Funky Ferndale Art Fair Back With Bigger Sponsor, New Twists

New things are in store for the 2011 Funky Ferndale Art Fair.

Organizers say the biggest change for the fair, entering its ninth season when it opens Friday on Nine Mile Road, is a prominent sponsor.

MotorCity Casino Hotel has infused the event with more funds for advertising, said Bart Loeb, who puts on the festival every year with his brother Mark.

“We’ve definitely done more ads because we simply have more money,” Bart Loeb said.

MotorCity Casino is also sponsoring the DIY Street Fair happening across the street on East Troy the same time as the Funky Ferndale Art Fair on West Nine Mile.

Though the event tends to draw good crowds, the Loeb brothers expect even more people this year because of their promotion efforts as well as a crisp, sunny forecast that doesn’t include rain.

Visitors can expect the same funky vibe that has been the hallmark of the festival since its beginning. Described on the event’s website as “edgier or funkier” than most, this year the festival includes more than 120 juried artists from 22 states whose artwork is unexpected, non-traditional, and what you just aren’t likely to see at other area arts shows.

“We always want the pieces in this show to invite conversation,” Mark Loeb said. “And also pieces that aren’t necessarily expensive. You won’t have to spend $300 to get something really great."

Expect to find something of everything—jewelry, fabrics, photographs, sculptures, paintings, prints, mixed media, recycled goods, etc.

Funky Ferndale is free to the public and runs Friday 4-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Nine Mile Road and Woodward Avenue.

Also new this year is a special event showcasing the new children’s book about The Heidelberg Project founder and artistic director Tyree Guyton.

Guyton will sign copies of the book, “Magic Trash,” from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Elegance by Design on Nine Mile Road.

“This is the first time the public will be able to buy this book,” Bart Loeb said. “It won’t be officially on sale to the public until October.”

And for a truly funky hands-on experience, why not try making something out of toilet paper?

According to the Loeb brothers, “paper mâché using toilet paper” is a popular art form in prison because of the lack of other materials.

“People will be able to make face masks out of the toilet paper,” Bart Loeb said. “And the city will display all the masks at the Ferndale Library for the month of October.”