Olathe summer art market brings creativity to life. What to know before you go
Dozens of Kansas City artisans and makers will be in attendance for the Azura Summer Art Market Saturday, with over 30 on site offering a variety of handcrafted jewelry, paintings, pottery, candles, home decor and more.
Hosted by Art Garden KC, in partnership with Azura Credit Union, the free outdoor pop-up market will be held at Azura Outdoors, located at 11750 South Fellow Street in Olathe, from 10 a.m-4 p.m.
Guests can shop from the various vendors or enjoy food trucks, live music, face paintings and other family-friendly activities.
With features such as an open lawn, a stage and a capacity for 150 guests, vendors participating at the art market this weekend expressed how both the hosts and organizers of the event give support and exposure to small businesses.
“I decided to join the Azura Summer Art Market this year because I really admire how thoughtfully it’s organized,” said local painter Olga Kochkina. “Azura Credit Union creates such a welcoming space, and with Art Garden KC curating the event, it feels like a great fit. I’m excited for the chance to share my work and connect with the community in such a creative and lively setting.”
Kochkina will be debuting new paintings at this weekend’s art market. Inspired by Kansas sunsets and scenery, their offerings include their new watercolor paintings.
Pandemic isolation leads to birth of art fairs
The effort to bring more art fairs to the Kansas City area started, in part, due to the isolation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said.
Local artists wanted more exposure, and new artists needed a way to break into the entrepreneurial scene. So CEO and founder of Art Garden KC, Bethany Alzanadi, kickstarted her business four years ago to address these issues.
“We started Art Garden right after COVID in March of 2021,” said Alzanadi. “Myself, my husband and a few neighborhood artists in Pendleton Heights felt that it was important for our community and the mental health of the artists that lived in our neighborhood to get out and do an outdoor event and get the public back together.”
Now, with multiple art fairs in the metro and over 1,700 vendors in their network, Alzanadi expressed how neighborhood pop-up markets, like Saturday’s event at Azura Credit Union give back to the community.
“This is their livelihood. They have kids to feed. They’ve got bills to pay. It’s important that we provide spaces for the community to come out and be able to shop locally and have a direct impact on their neighbors, on people that live here,” Alzanadi said.
Many vendors are returnees to Kansas City art fairs. Vendors point out that recurring art markets and face-to-face intersections vary greatly from online shopping — in a way that’s positive for small businesses and local artists.
“I tend to make a big connection with my customers,” said Alexandra Croft of Croft Creates, which offers handmade glass and beaded items, including suncatchers and eyeglass chains.
“When I’m seeing them in real life I have full on conversations, I have a real connection. And I think part of the buying experience is based on that, whereas online, you get none of that. You see a picture of me, and you see the pictures of the items,” Croft said.
This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 5:23 PM.
