On December 9, the Ann Arbor District Library Downtown hosts the Tiny Expo, a popular show and sale of holiday gifts by more than fifty local artists and crafters. | Photo: Lia Giannotti Photography
If you love art but hate the crowds and heat of the city’s summer art fairs, you’ll swoon over the Tiny Expo Indie Art and Craft Fair at the Ann Arbor District Library downtown on Saturday, December 9.
Tiny in size—more than fifty artists and crafers, each with a six-foot long table—the juried show is expansive in its diversity and breadth of work. “Our jurors focus on three things,” says Amanda Schott, one of the staff librarians who organizes the show, “local, passion, and uniqueness.”
The show is very family friendly, with drop-in hands-on activities from 1–4 p.m. Head downstairs to the Secret Lab to make your own pop-up cards, 3D snowflakes, or gift tags. There will also be a chance to screen-print a tote bag with Modati Studios.
“Tiny Expo is my favorite show of the year!” says Kelly Kaatz, a ceramicist based in Ferndale. Kaatz does about ten shows annually; this is her second Tiny Expo. “There’s no booth fee, people are friendly, and they provide a free lunch. What’s not to love?”
Her popular hand-built pots feature abstract scenes from nature and are filled with texture, uneven lines, and whimsical flow. “The vibe of the show is very good,” says Kaatz. “The staff is supportive and there is a nice holiday feeling in the room.”
By day, Betsy Salzman is a geneticist who manages a lab at U-M School of Public Health. In the evening, she morphs into the Science Bee, creating handmade housewares, jewelry, and “nerdy art” in the basement of her home near Buhr Park. Her children—Scout, eight, and Caspian, three—inspired her latest venture, a line of children’s clothing called Little Scientist.
Tiny Expo is the biggest annual show for the library, with last year’s attendance topping five thousand. This will be the tenth year the library has hosted the show, with a couple of years off for Covid.
For Salzman, this is her fourth Tiny Expo, and she loves it. “Oh man, I could sing the praises of the Ann Arbor library system,” says Salzman. “They put together an amazing show.” Art lovers rejoice!
Tiny Expo returns to the Downtown Library Lobbytorium from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. on Saturday, December 9, 2023.
