A sculpture of recycled plastic bottles on a lawn in Evanston. Photo: Amanda from Chicago, USA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Selling art is a small business, and most of the people doing it in Evanston work alone. Evanston Made, a nonprofit arts organization, exists to give them a shared route to customers. It runs a recurring market, a monthly series of events and member gatherings, and it charges booth fees low enough that a first-time vendor can try it.
How it started
Lisa Degliantoni began the program in 2014 while volunteering for the Evanston Arts Council, the Evanstonian, Evanston Township High School’s student newspaper, reported in 2023. She had noticed that nothing in town introduced people to visual artists or offered studio tours, so she and other volunteers organized tours. Those grew into Evanston Made. The Daily Northwestern describes Degliantoni as the founder and co-director.
As of 2023 the group was membership-based, with more than 450 members and programming through the year. Joining happens through its website. The Evanstonian reported no portfolio requirement or application, and discounts to make membership more accessible.
The Maker’s Market
The market is the part of the operation closest to retail. Shoppers buy directly from artists and makers. The first was in 2019, and the Evanstonian reported it was held on the fifth floor of the Maple parking garage. The Daily Northwestern covered the seventh annual market in May 2025, a five-hour Sunday afternoon event. Most vendors showed art, and others sold handmade goods such as jewelry and knives.
Booth fees in 2025 ranged from $30 to $150, depending on a vendor’s age and whether they belonged to Evanston Made, the paper reported. Degliantoni told the Daily Northwestern the fees were lower than at many other art markets, to keep the event accessible. For a maker testing demand, a low fee limits the downside of a slow afternoon.
Beyond the market
First Saturdays take place on the first Saturday of each month and bring the artist community together through exhibits, classes and vendor showcases. In 2023 that series included a free sketching workshop led by Sherry Smith at Sketchbook Brewery. Some participating businesses, such as Pour cafe on Dempster Street, donated 10 percent of sales to Evanston Made to customers who mentioned First Saturday.
Member mixers, held monthly at different Evanston locations, give artists a place to describe their work to one another. The Evanstonian also reported that Degliantoni hoped to create a headquarters for making, showing and selling art, and that the organization was to turn ten in 2024.
For the shops and cafes that host events, the arrangement brings foot traffic and a reason to be on the calendar. For the artists, it provides a customer base that a single studio rarely builds alone. Those interested in joining or vending can start at the group’s website, evanstonmade.org, where dates and fees for the current year are posted.
The model is modest in scale, and the sources reviewed give no sales figures or vendor counts for the group. What they do show is a structure built around low barriers: membership without an application, booths priced for beginners and events spread across businesses in different parts of town.
Sources: the Evanstonian (Oct. 20, 2023) and the Daily Northwestern (May 4, 2025).
Daniel Okafor covers business, startups and the Innovators section for The Evanston Edge.
