Dearborn Duo to Take Part in Detroit Urban Craft Fair

Dearborn or Detroit; suburbs or city–it’s all the same for Christina Jacobs, one-half of the printmaking duo Perfect Laughter.

The husband-and-wife team lives and works in Dearborn, but embodies Detroit’s hardworking character, said Jacobs. And more importantly, she added, it’s about the art–not where you make it.

“We wanted to represent (Detroit spirit), but we didn’t want to limit ourselves to that,” she said of their decision to not include Detroit in their name. “There are artists from cities everywhere that we love. I guess we just felt like it wasn’t about Dearborn versus Detroit. It was about Detroit versus just doing what we do, and being open to being able to do it anywhere.”

This weekend, Jacobs and husband Dennis will be showing off and selling their works at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair–the area’s largest annual holiday craft event.

It’s one of four shows they’re selling at this holiday season. And it’s Jacobs’ favorite time of year, not for the snowy weather and Christmas, but for the opportunities to talk with other lovers of local art.

“I just really love seeing people’s reactions to our work,” Jacobs said. “The things people say and seeing what they respond to surprises me. You do things you like, but you never know how people are going to feel about them. It’s the time of year when you get the most in-person interaction with people.”

Jacobs explained that Perfect Laughter started out just as a blog about the local art scene–artists they appreciated, works they liked, gallery shows they attended. As their experience as artists grew, so did the blog, which now includes their own work, and a link to their shop on Etsy.com.

Perfect Laughter prints range from band posters they were commissioned to create to interesting phrases or quotes set in unique typefaces. Visitors to their site will find equal parts vintage flare, Detroit pride and quirky fun–such as a print that speaks to the “unrequited love” between a cuttlefish and a nautilus.

The duo clearly likes to have fun with their work–and take chances, Jacobs said.

“We try to do something different and push ourselves, even if we don’t know what we’re doing,” she said with a laugh.

To Christina and Dennis Jacobs, art is about experimenting and learning as you go, which is why their blog includes information on how to start screen printing, for those interested in trying it out.

“People are intimidated by trying to start doing something like this, and they shouldn’t be,” Jacobs said. “You can do it anywhere–you don’t need some giant loft in Corktown. You can start in your parents’ basement, which is what we did.”

The Detroit Urban Craft Fair happens 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday at the Masonic Temple in Detroit. Admission is $1.