Artists sought for revived Ogden Arts Festival at Union Station
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- An undated photo of the Ogden Arts Festival at historic Union Station in Ogden.
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- Ogden Downtown Alliance is seeking artists for the revived Ogden Arts Festival, which is planned for July 19-20, 2025, at Union Station.
OGDEN — Following a gap year during which the Ogden Arts Festival faced an uncertain future, the annual event is set to return this summer.
The 19th edition of the Ogden Arts Festival will be held at historic Union Station on July 19 and 20. In the meantime, Ogden Downtown Alliance, or ODA — which is organizing the revived festival — is seeking artists to participate in the event.
“Applications are open to artists producing handmade original Fine Art and Craft in 15 different medium categories,” a press release stated.
Categories include 2D and 3D mixed media, ceramics, drawing, fiber/leather, furniture, glass, graffiti/street art, graphics and printmaking, jewelry, metalwork, painting, photography and digital art, sculpture, wearable art and wood.
The application deadline is April 9. To apply, go to https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=13319. Roughly 115 exhibitors will be accepted.
Formerly under the direction of Nurture the Creative Mind, the Ogden Arts Festival was last held in 2023. ODA Executive Director Reide Thompson told the Standard-Examiner in January that nearly 8,000 people attended that event; even more are expected in 2025.
However, ODA intends to honor the event’s roots by providing support for emerging artists.
“It’s something that’s been a part of the festival for some time, but we want to give it some new legs, new vibrancy and help fill a need and provide additional resources for artists who may need help figuring out, ‘How do I make prints of my artwork? How much does that cost? How do I prepare to sell at an arts festival?'” Thompson said. “To provide not just financial support, but also some training support as well and how to be successful in selling their art.”
In addition to the myriad exhibitors and performances, the festival will also include family-friendly activities and interactive art as part of a greater mission to make art more accessible.
“We want to make sure the community has opportunities to shop for beautiful pieces of art,” Thompson said. “You’ll be able to take home a great print for $20 or you can buy a $2,000 painting. Having that accessibility for our community to be able to consume art and a wide range of performances is important to us.”
Prospective attendees are advised to sign up for the ODA newsletter at https://ogdendowntown.com/ for updates. Information will also be released via Instagram and Facebook.
