For a city with a population just under 90,000, Ogden has blossomed into a vibrant arts destination. Colorful murals and public sculptures celebrate the region’s landscape, wildlife, local history, and winter recreation.
First Friday Art Stroll: For more than 20 years, the First Friday Art Stroll has been a community highlight, allowing folks to peruse galleries and art-focused boutiques from 6 to 9 p.m.
Most Art Stroll locations are along 25th Street (the Nine Rails Creative District), though Weber State University’s Shaw Gallery also participates.
WSU’s Shaw Gallery: This gallery features 4 exhibitions of contemporary art each year.
This past spring, We Are All Migrants brought together powerful artwork on the theme of migration. At the end of every semester, BFA students mount a thesis exhibition as a culmination of their studies. Two biennial shows showcase Weber State faculty on odd years and a juried student exhibition on even years.
This fall, Of This Place: Great Basin Neighbors will bring together Shoshone, Paiute, Ute, and Diné artists to explore our shared region and the impact of history on the present.
Dumke Arts Plaza: Recently established in 2021 with sculptures by Chakaia Booker, the Dumke Arts Plaza is the local outdoor space one block west of the Monarch building on 25th Street.
This Plaza is managed by WSU’s Shaw Gallery Director in partnership with Ogden City. Sculptural installations rotate twice per year, ranging from bold, vibrant interventions—like Megan Geckler’s A Dream That Comes in Color (2024)—to science-based sculptures drawn from research on the Great Salt Lake, such as Kellie Bornhoft and Carey Campbell’s This was Water (2024).
The most recent installation opened May 15th. Artist Meredith Connelly, based in North Carolina, fell in love with Ogden during a weeklong visit to install Luminous Ecologies. This quiet, meditative work is best experienced in the dark when one can appreciate the magical glow of her hand-sculpted mushrooms, 3-D-printed snails, and colorful projections of water. Luminous Ecologies will be on view until October 15th.
Ogden Contemporary Arts (OCA): The OCA is located in the heart of Ogden’s Nine Rails Creative District and has become a driving force in Northern Utah’s contemporary arts landscape since opening its flagship art center in 2020.
OCA exhibits contemporary art, supports artists, and provides educational experiences. Guided by its core values, OCA works to break down barriers surrounding contemporary art while embracing curiosity, risk-taking, and forward-thinking ideas. Through changing exhibitions, artist residencies, free community arts education, and public programming, OCA creates opportunities for respectful dialogue, diverse representation, and meaningful creative engagement.
Past exhibitions such as Good Girl by Elyse Pignolet, Aim High, and Tamara Kostianovsky’s Mesmerizing Flesh have explored themes of identity, ambition, consumerism, environmental impact, and human experiences through immersive and thought-provoking contemporary works.
OCA also offers free Artist Factory workshops throughout the year. This provides accessible hands-on creative experiences for youth, families, and emerging artists. Housed within the historic Monarch building, OCA continues to shape Ogden into one of the region’s most vibrant and accessible cultural destinations. Thanks to support from the community, Ogdenites don’t have to go far to see amazing exhibitions and meet creative minds.
Ogdenites don’t have to go far to see amazing exhibits and mingle with creative minds.
Photo credits for this article provided by:
1 & 2: Chakaia Booker, R E V I V E, Dumke Arts Plaza, 2021.
3. Megan Geckler, A dream that comes in color, Dumke Arts Plaza, 2024.
4. The Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery is inside Weber State University's Kimball Visual Arts Center, 3964 W. Campus Dr.
6. Ogden Contemporary Arts at 455 25th St.
5 & 7: We Are All Migrants exhibition at the Shaw Gallery, featuring work by Scherezade Garcia and Enrique Chagoya, 2026.