The Ogden Arts Festival — now under the stewardship of Ogden Downtown Alliance, or ODA, will be back this summer on Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20, at historic Union Station. Last year’s festival was cancelled amid a reevaluation period for the previous organizer.

“Throughout the year, I think Nurture the Creative Mind was looking for a new home for the Ogden Arts Festival,” ODA Executive Director Reide Thompson told the Standard-Examiner. “They wanted to pass it off to the right hands and find someone who could help bring it back to the community.”

Thompson, who was part of the planning committee for the 2023 event, anticipates a smooth transition, as well as participation from former organizers.

“We’re still discussing what the level of involvement will look like, but we plan to incorporate past members of the planning committee into the event and honor the legacy that they have built over time,” she said.

Although the details are still being ironed out, one of the ways in which that legacy will be honored is through the continuation of the festival’s emerging artist program, supported by the Amir Jackson Emerging Artist Fund.

“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.”

According to Thompson, the revived festival will feature over 100 artist booths as well as family-friendly activities and interactive art.

“We want to make sure the community has opportunities to shop for beautiful pieces of art. 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,” Thompson said.

Nearly 8,000 people attended the 2023 festival, and Thompson hopes to see an increase in attendance this year.

The event is currently still in the early planning stages, so information on ticket prices, on-sale dates and specific vendors and features will be released at a later time. 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.

Thompson added that artist applications will likely open in mid-February.

“Fostering our local arts community, inspiring new artists and providing affordable access to fine arts is a big part of our goals for this event and our mission,” Thompson said. “This will help distinguish how the arts festival is different than, say, the farmers market that we also host and produce.

“There needs to be a really clear distinction that this is a different type of experience and event centered around the arts that broadens our definition of fine art.”