42nd annual ArtWalk kicks off Friday

By Lyndsie Kiebert
Reader Staff

Sometimes the best art is encountered when the observer is least expecting it. They’re shopping, just walking along the street or taking in a craft beer when there, on the wall, is a piece of artistic expression that strikes a chord. The observer sets down their juicy IPA and thinks, “Wow. That means something to me.”

Terrie Kremer’s quilted “Shadows of a Walk.” Courtesy photo.

This, in a sense, is what ArtWalk brings to Sandpoint.

For the 42nd year, the Pend Oreille Arts Council is facilitating what is ultimately a gigantic, months-long art show throughout downtown Sandpoint’s locales. ArtWalk kicks off Friday as dozens of local artists and businesses host receptions across town (refer to location list in the right-hand sidebar) and art will remain on display until Aug. 23. This year, Ting and KPND Radio are sponsoring ArtWalk.

POAC Board President Carol Deaner said ArtWalk has persisted for more than four decades because it puts “phenomenal local artists” on display in a fun way. One such artist is 2019 ArtWalk Artist of the Year Terrie Kremer. Her medium is quilting, and her work is nothing short of meticulous beauty. Her art will be on display at the POAC office for the duration of ArtWalk.

The Sandpoint artist said she started quilting in the ‘80s but that her style has evolved over time. She described being selected as the Artist of the Year as “incredible, thrilling and humbling.” Her work titled “Shadows of a Walk” is featured on the cover of this year’s ArtWalk Walking Tour Map, which will be available around town starting Friday. Kremer said she drew inspiration from a photo she took on a walk in Bonners Ferry to create the piece.

“I love the feel of the fiber,” Kremer said of quilting. “I love the colors, the textures of the prints, the designs that are available. Sometimes I make my own fabric by painting and dying it myself.”

Another ArtWalk artist has her work featured on our cover this week: Nellie Lutzwolf, winner of our 2019 ArtWalk Reader cover contest. Her interpretation of the Pend Oreille Paddler made a major impression on the Reader staff, winning her a $100 MickDuff’s certificate and a week as the newspaper’s cover artist. Congrats, Nellie! Thanks for your awesome submission, and thanks to everyone else who sent us their cover ideas. We certainly loved many of them, and plan to use them on the covers of future Readers.

ArtWalk receptions are Friday, June 21 5:30-8 p.m. and Friday, July 26 5:30-8 p.m. For more information, visit artinsandpoint.org or call the POAC office at 208-263-6139.