ARTS
JULY.AUG | 2022 | VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 5
BY NORAH D. EMERSON
Joy
THE OF EXCELLENCE
ENCORE CREATIVE CENTER INSTRUCTORS PASS THE CREATIVE TORCH TO THE COMMUNITY You know that awe you get when standing before a masterful painting — that wonder of, how do they take wet mounds of pigment and transform them into such a light filled scene? You know that energy you get from attending a big concert - the power pulsing in your veins so strongly that you find yourself crying and don’t know why? This is passion pure and simple, passion carried through art to your mind and your heart — because art doesn’t just stand there purposeless; it invites you in to its excellence. Imagine this same passion encapsulated in a building, where all around you can feel the fire of master artistry being transferred to YOU. You feel the joy. You feel empowered because you now have the tools to put the pieces together that have waited in your desires. You now know the why and the how behind what a casual observer calls “talent.”
“It’s time for the world to experience the arts from a fresh perspective. Starting with our own community, people need a safe place to come where it’s normal to be amazing.”
Imagine being surrounded by master artists, creators of the visual arts, the musical arts, and the performing arts.... imagine them all gathering in one building as friends and team members with one mission. They’re here to inspire and educate others with the tools of their trade. Imagine soul-hungry individuals coming to this place and being filled; imagine whole families coming and staying while each child pursues their own passion in their own class. PHOTOGRAPH BY ASHLEY FRITSCHE
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This is the vision that one Idaho woman imagined which led her to open what is now known as Encore Creative Center. Danika Starrharrt had already made a successful career for herself as a musician and educator, having been recording, performing and teaching music full time for almost two decades before founding Encore in Idaho. Knowing that her former achievements were only a springboard, she couldn’t stop there. She envisioned impacting thousands more lives than she could by teaching from her own thriving home studio, and she knew it would take a big place and a big team to be able to serve the whole Treasure Valley. She went
