Funky Ferndale Art Fair reaches 20 years

FERNDALE — The Funky Ferndale Art Fair is back again for its 20th year.

The Funky Ferndale Art Fair will take place Sept. 20-22 in the downtown on West Nine Mile Road with more than 110 artists participating in the juried show and other authors and artists participating as well.

“It’s such a cool show because we focus on the unusual arts,” organizer Mark Loeb said. “It’s the show that people who think they don’t love art love this show, because the stuff that we see isn’t the traditional still lives. So that’s what I like about it most, is it’s a great gateway into the arts.”

Art of various mediums will be on display at the event, including paintings, sculptures, jewelry, mixed media, fiber and clay. There also will be the return of Authors Row and musical performances at Nine Mile Road and Allen Street.

Artist Dale Teachout also will be taking part in the fair to help fair attendees make art from trash to create their own accessories such as glasses, hats and belts.

“The main thing we’re trying to do is come up with new ways for people to experience the arts by making things that they could take,” Loeb said. “So another of the projects that we’re doing this year is we’ve got a bunch of old sunglasses and then some stick-on little rubies, little gizmos and paint and such so that people can create their own look with the sunglasses. I actually think they’re gonna have a lot of fun with it.”

Joseph Lamontagne, of Ferndale, will be back for another Funky Ferndale Art Fair where he will be selling his welded metal art.

Lamontagne makes his art out of scrap metal, crafting pieces such as robot heads that have been a hit with his customers.

“I do these little robots. … I got their robot heads and then I got, like, the whole body, and I make them out of old, recycled or basically junk electric switch boxes or oxygen bottles that are out of commission. I’ll take those and cut them up and make a robot out of them,” he said.

“They always have good artists there,” he said of the fair. “I like to look around, and I actually like to buy art and stuff too and see if people want to trade. It’s always fun.”

Megan Lui, of Berkley, will be participating in her first Funky Ferndale Art Fair. Lui described her art as “surreal abstracts.” She also said she has a series of portraits of women with flowers.

Lui said she has done more exhibitions than fairs, where she’s had origami demos at her booth, but she’s excited to attend the Funky Ferndale Art Fair for the first time.

“At (Detroit’s) Palmer Park (Art Fair), I handed out origami cranes and had some prints for sale. I also have these mini crane paintings that did pretty well,” she said.

The hours for the Funky Ferndale Art Fair will be 4 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20; 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22. For more information, visit funkyferndaleartfair.com.