The 57th Street Art Fair Committee has made the final decision after much deliberation, and considerable sadness, to cancel the in-person event June 5-6.

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There are many considerations behind this difficult decision. Concerns for the health and safety of our artists, visitors, volunteers and community remain a primary focus, but the additional time and cost to implement a safely modified in-person event this were also factors in our decision making.

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While remaining optimistic, it has been an overwhelming challenge to plan for a physical event with all the uncertainties and unknowns that still remain due to the ongoing pandemic. Although the city has begun accepting permits for special events such as ours, and we have applied for a permit, we still have not received permission to hold the fair at this date. In addition, we do not currently have permission from Ray School and the Chicago Public School system to use any of the school building or blacktop areas that we would need.

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State guidelines for outdoor events stipulate strict limits on crowd density. This presents a large number of logistical issues and related financial expenses for us. Currently, the limit is 15 people total per 1,000 square feet— this includes all artists and their helpers, volunteers, committee members, and visitors. It would be up to us to control the access and traffic flow in order to maintain this density at all times.

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Without the city permit and permission from CPS, and with only a month to go before our early June fair date, there is not enough time to implement any of the plans we have considered for 2021’s 74th Annual 57th Street Art Fair.

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At this time, we will focus on our ongoing 2021 57th Street Art Fair virtual event at https://www.57thstreetartfair.org/virtual-fair 

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Our 2021 Virtual Fair will be live through May, 2022 and features more than 100 incredible artists selling original works of art. 

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The committee and the neighborhood will miss seeing everyone again this year, and are looking ahead to next year, when we hope to see everyone in-person to celebrate our 75th Anniversary!

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Thank you again for your patience, optimism, and understanding,

the 57th Street Art Fair Committee