Sandpoint Arts Context Organizations and the Arts Scene Sandpoint boasts 20 plus arts and culture organizations, three of which received grant support from Arts Idaho (Idaho Commission on the Arts) in 2020: The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, Pend Oreille Arts Council (POAC), and Arts Alliance, Inc., also known locally as Creations for Sandpoint. The Sandpoint community considers these organizations and the Panida Theater the arts and cultural anchor organizations. The Arts Council primarily serves the community through programming and opportunities for visual artist members. It does not serve the whole arts sector with primary functions of advocacy, coordinated supplies and services, collaborative marketing and regranting as do some local arts agency models. Sandpoint has a vibrant arts scene, particularly downtown in the summer months. Local and regional art is ubiquitous indoors and outside in galleries, parks, and businesses throughout the Art Walk sponsored by the Arts Council and the City’s public art program. With a changing art exhibition schedule, POAC’s signature summer Arts and Crafts Fair, and a performing arts series, there is always an opportunity to enjoy the arts in Sandpoint. The Artists’ Studio Tour connects artists and art lovers through working studio visits throughout the region. The Cedar Street Bridge and Foster’s Crossing are unique and interesting destinations where local artists create new work year-round with stories to tell that link to Sandpoint’s history and authentic atmosphere. Sandpoint’s historic buildings are also home to the community’s crown jewels of the arts. The Panida Theater provides Sandpoint residents with ongoing cinema and performance programs on its stages and screen, and the Music Conservatory, located in the former City Hall, serves as Sandpoint’s performing arts education center with expansion plans at hand. The relationship between the Music Conservatory and POAC is a powerful example of collaboration and their unified vision to foster fine arts and performing arts in Sandpoint through the Center for Arts and Culture is a prime example how arts and historic preservation come together and how cultural vitality creates local synergy. Both organizations also have solid partnerships with the school district and education community.
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S A N D P O I N T A R T S , C U LT U R E & H I S T O R I C P R E S E R V A T I O N P L A N
