Birmingham says ‘no’ to third art show

Birmingham city commissioners at their meeting on Monday, October 30, denied a request by an art show promoter who wanted to hold an art show in Shain Park in August the weekend after Dream Cruise, noting there are already two art shows each season with a long community history as well as recognizing the stress on local retailers from the events.

Hotworks, LLC Fine Arts & Fine Crafts Shows sought to hold Hotworks Birmingham Fine Art Show in Shain Park August 24-26, 2018, which organizer Patty Narozny of Milford described as a “high quality juried fine art and fine craft show with sponsors and food vendors, with the focus (on) visual arts, ethnic diversity, community enrichment and fostering art education among youth.” The application stated the art show would take over Shain Park and its environs for three full days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Narozny said she also puts on the Orchard Lake Fine Art Show in West Bloomfield in July, as well as shows in Boca Raton and Ft. Myers, Florida in January and Asheville, North Carolina in May.

Birmingham has hosted two other art shows for decades – each May, on Mother’s Day weekend, there is Art Birmingham, presented annually by the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center (BBAC), which will celebrate its 37th year in 2018, and in September, the Common Ground Birmingham Street Art Fair, which just held its 43rd annual show in Birmingham. Each fair is a fundraiser, giving back to its community partners.

Commissioners asked Narozny her connections to the city, and there weren’t any, other than she is a resident of Oakland County. Proceeds were to go to the Institute for the Arts & Education, Inc., a non-profit, of which Narozny is president and treasurer, and is associated with Hotworks.

Commissioners took no action on the request, in essence denying it.