Arts & Entertainment

Meet the Artist: Helen Andrews Duggan

Check out one of the artists whose work will be on display during the Wyandotte Street Art Fair.

More than 250 artists from around the country will descend upon the city to sell their creations at the 50th annual on July 13-16. As part of our continued coverage of the fair, Wyandotte Patch is highlighting select artists.

Helen Andrews Duggan of The Palm Beach Collection, Inc.
Boca Raton, FL

How long have you been selling at the Wyandotte Street Art Fair? 22 years, ever since we started. My husband and a daughter help out.

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What do you sell? Museum-quality teddy bears from recycled fur coats, ranging in cost from $165 to $800. Buyers include teddy bear collectors, modern American folk art buyers and the occasional doting grandparents for a very lucky child. We also make bears and bunnies for individuals from their own fur garments, which we named "The Family Bears." They come with lockets around the neck with space for a picture of the person who owned the fur and the person who gets the bear. The feet can be inscribed with special messages.

What is your booth number at this year's fair? 169

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Out of all the fairs in the country, why do you choose to participate in Wyandotte’s? People who attend the Wyandotte art fair are pleasant, down-to-earth folks, who even if they don't or can't buy, always have a nice compliment about the work. The merchants are friendly, the restaurants handy and there is always a good turnout for the show–even in the rain. A number of local people have a dozen or more of our bears and they are always interested in what's new. It's also convenient for people who have furs and want bears made from them to meet us at the show.

Tell us an interesting tidbit about yourself or your work. The bears won best of show at Wyandotte the last year that the artists and crafters voted on their peers. The award was only topped by one other thing. A few years back at the Wyandotte show, a young girl named Stephanie came past the booth with her parents and friends. She pleaded with her folks to buy her a $160 bear. "Can't do", said her father. As she was leaving, I said to her as I do to all disappointed children, "Save your money for next year." Surprise. The next year, along came Stephanie, with parents and friends in tow, with a smile that went from curb-to-curb. Her pockets were bulging with coins and dollar bills saved from babysitting jobs, chores and Christmas gifts to buy her first bear. (She has since bought more and is now a grown-up young woman.) Now that was the award of a lifetime.

(Click to see all of the artists featured so far.)


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