New Art Markets Pop Up Ogden Style
Audrey Christensen’s Ogden’s Own yART Sale at Side Bar, Ogden Arts After Dark, and the original yART Sale cultivate connection and accessibility for all artists
NEWS
Audrey Christensen, artist/writer and creator of The yART Sale in Ogden pictured at Historic Place, a bar located on Historic 25th Street. Photo provided
New pop-up art markets are sprouting in Ogden this summer, curated by Audrey Christensen, building on her “yART Sale” concept that was born in 2020. These markets offer a different twist – spaces inside a bar, an outdoor art exhibit, and a garden – to provide accessible and low-barrier spaces for artists to showcase their work and connect with the community.
Christensen, Ogden’s reigning queen of art markets and multi-disciplinary artist/writer at Hey Be Fab, started The yART sale backyard art market in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, she’s collaborating with Ogden’s Own Distillery and OgdenCAN to nurture Ogden’s arts community in new ways.
The Ogden’s Own yART Sale at Side Bar is a 21+ “art market-meets-hangout” happening on select Saturday nights this summer. It will feature vendors inside the bar and outside under the patio lights, along with live music and local drinks.
Ogden Arts After Dark will be held at the Dumke Arts Plaza every first Sunday of the month from July to October. Ogden Avenue, between The Monarch and Dumke Arts Plaza, will be closed, and artists are invited to take over the plaza. There will be food trucks, an open mic, and a public art wall called the “Guerrilla Gallery,” where anyone can display their art just to be seen, not sold.
Ogden’s Own has been hosting intimate music nights at the Side Bar, located on-site at the distillery, and building a strong arts community. “They wanted to push that further to explore what it might look like to bring more visual art into the rhythm of their weekends,” Christensen said.
Christensen said that together they imagined a new kind of pop-up art market that brings together “the bar’s chill, night vibes and the “raw, heart-forward energy” of the yART community.” She described it as “something accessible. Something fun. Something a little unexpected.”
“The tables will be “full of work that tells a story”, she said. “It’s not just a vendor space — it’s an atmosphere. One that invites people to slow down, look around, and leave with something handmade.”
OgdenCAN (Ogden Civic Action Network) reached out to Christensen earlier this year with the idea to activate the Dumke Arts Plaza for the creative community, focusing on less visible artists.
“They’ve been doing deep-rooted work in East Central Ogden — focusing on housing, health, food access, and community connection — and they saw the arts as a natural extension of that mission. When they approached me about co-creating something, it immediately felt aligned,” Christensen said.
“My work with the yART Sale has always been about making space for artists — especially emerging ones — to show up as they are, without needing a curated resume or a polished brand. So together, we imagined a night market that wasn’t about perfection, but about presence. Something street-level — literally and metaphorically.”
She added, “Not just a market, but an invitation to gather, express, and reimagine what it looks like when the plaza belongs to the people — even if just for one night.”
The original yART sale in July 2020, when it was located at Christensen’s home in South Ogden. Photos courtesy of The yART Sale
The first yART sale in the summer of 2020 started as “a question — and a feeling,” Christensen said. As markets were canceled, she knew artists making beautiful things in their homes, including herself, with nowhere to share that work. “There was a heaviness to it, a kind of artistic invisibility.”
She made a post on Facebook: “If I opened up my yard and let artists set up tables to share what they’ve been working on… would anyone come?”
Someone replied, “What — like a yART Sale?”
“And just like that, it had a name,” she said.
The community showed up to make it happen, filling the front and backyards of Christensen’s home with artists, friends, neighbors, and strangers seeking re-connection. “It was scrappy. It was safe. It was needed,” she said.
“It reminded people — myself included — that art doesn’t need a gallery to be seen. It just needs a place to land. It needs people to show up. And it deserves space, even (and especially) when the world feels uncertain.”
Since then, the yART Sale has grown into a full-scale community event held at the Oasis Community Garden, in partnership with the Junior League of Ogden. It brings 60 artists, live music, a kid zone, and hundreds of attendees — but Christensen’s same intention remains:
“To create a space where artists can be fully themselves.
Where connection matters more than polish.
Where creativity doesn’t have to prove itself — it just has to exist.”
Ogden’s art scene has changed since 2020. There are many more art markets, opportunities, and events than before The yART Sale began, but Christensen’s purpose hasn’t changed. She loves seeing the art scene thrive with more polished events but says there’s more pressure to be market-ready with branding, display setups, and sales goals. “That can feel overwhelming or exclusionary for the artist who’s still figuring it out – or just wants to share their work without the performance of being a vendor.”
She said her markets welcome the artists who aren’t sure if they belong. “They make space for vulnerability, community, experimentation, and joy. We don’t just open up vendor spots. We create ecosystems.”
Before the yART Sale, there were “yARTie Parties” — “casual potlucks where vendors connect, share tips, and teach each other how to price, set up, or even just feel more confident showing up,” Christensen said. These meetups created supportive, collaborative networks. The new pop-ups at Ogden’s Own and Dumke Arts Plaza will build on that same energy.
She concluded, “They’re smaller, more frequent, and intentionally low-barrier. But they still hold the same heartbeat: to make space where artists can support each other, show up as they are, and grow in good company.”
“There are a lot of markets now. And I love that. But mine? Mine still feel like home.”
This Summer’s “yART Sale” Artist Pop-Up Lineup:
Ogden Arts After Dark
First Sundays — July through October (The first will be held on the second Sunday, July 13).
5–9 p.m. at Dumke Arts Plaza (vendors on the plaza, not the street)
Presented in partnership with OgdenCAN
The street between The Monarch and Dumke Plaza to host a public night market with food trucks, an open mic, and the Guerrilla Gallery — a public art wall where anyone can display their work.
$50 per date — limited vendor spots available
Sign-up link: https://form.jotform.com/heybefab/ogdenartsafterdark
Ogden’s Own yART Sale at Sidebar
Select Saturdays — July 12, July 26, August 9, August 23
6–10 PM at Ogden’s Own Distillery (Side Bar)
A 21+ pop-up art night with music, drinks, and indoor/outdoor vendors.
Free to vend — space is limited
Sign-up link: https://form.jotform.com/heybefab/simple-saturday-at-the-sidebar
The yART Sale
Saturday, September 13, 2025
11 AM–5 PM at Oasis Community Garden
Presented in partnership with the Junior League of Ogden
Our flagship community art market with over 60 artists, live music, kids' activities, and a full garden takeover.
Vendor spots are full, but volunteers are needed
Interested in helping with setup, artist support, signage, or more? please reach out:heyaudrey@heybefab.com or sign up here: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/59125570093/false#/invitation
Read more about Audrey Christensen and yART sale art markets at @heybefab, @theyartsale, and www.heybefab.com/the-yart-sale.