The Art Fairs’ non-profit alley: an opportunity to ‘love your neighbors’
Hundreds move along E. Liberty St. during the State Street Art Fair on Thursday afternoon. Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
And then there are the religious booths — a whole world of denominations and non-denominations you may or may not have discovered.
Within about 10 minutes, I took a pamphlet from the Messianic Jewish ladies about the "Greatest Artist of All," watched the huge man in the black cloak explain the Maronite priesthood, tried to make sense of “The Divine Plan of the Ages” from a mysterious Bible study, and chatted with two guys promoting Muslims for Peace. The Michigan Atheists gave me a whole book of heartfelt essays. In that short time, I learned some nuggets of knowledge that I don’t think I would have picked up anywhere else.
In other settings, bringing such a diverse group of passionate people together could get ugly.
But this is Art Fair week, and the mood is festive. We expect to see folks who are different in our midst, and we open our streets to the masses. Our “neighbors” come from miles around to share and shop, scope out and show off, plead a cause and earn a buck.
On a typical day, I’d probably breeze by most of those neighbors and seek out the ones in my comfort zone. Today, I made some connections and gained some understanding.
Maybe I should work on connecting outside my comfort zone more often. Even if we don’t live next door and we might not agree, it’s the neighborly thing to do.
Pam Stout coordinates Faith and Home & Garden coverage for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at pamstoutaa@yahoo.com.
Comments
Jeff Gaynor
Fri, Jul 23, 2010 : 3:56 p.m.
@A2jo: My wife and I will be manning the Youth For Understanding (YFU) booth this evening. The AAFSC are indeed fine neighbors - some of the kids have been my students over the years. We'll have to talk to your families about hosting YFU high school exchange students that are arriving in August. :) YFU still has some great students from around the world to find host families for in Ann Arbor, and beyond.
A2jo
Fri, Jul 23, 2010 : 12:39 p.m.
Hello Pam, I want to put in a plug for our group you didn't mention --- the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club!!! We are right next to the Youth for Understanding group and across from a Tatoo booth! Please stop by and meet some of our great skaters,coaches, and parents, and also learn more about our great club here in Ann Arbor.. the AAFSC.. Individual, Pairs/Dance teams, Synchronized Teams. We have a free raffle for Learn to Skate program!!!
Al Feldt
Fri, Jul 23, 2010 : 6:52 a.m.
Nicely told, Pam, and your experience matches my own. I helped set up and staff one and sometimes two booths for several years and greatly enjoyed a day or two spend on E. Liberty. Some very strange people and causes at some of the booths but it is all taken in a friendly spirit. Many of those working in some booths cross over to pick up literature from someone else and sometimes sign a petition etc. My only bad experience was trying to talk to the Libertarians one year. The guy I met was just nasty. I never went back to their booth again.