Sandpiper hosts first Friday show after gallery redesign

By Taylor Davison / Valley Journal

POLSON — The Sandpiper

Art Gallery celebrated its first non-juried open show of the year in their newly remodeled space last Friday.

The Sandpiper is a nonprofit organization that encourages participation in and appreciation for the fine arts. Local artists display their work in the professional Main Street gallery. With over 50 members, the Sandpiper holds six shows a year to feature a variety of artists from across the valley, as well as several fundraisers to create scholarships for Lake and Sanders County students studying the arts.

One of two shows per year are open to non-member artists from the surrounding area, Gallery Director Margery Christensen said. The current show “Picture Perfect” - which runs through March 17 - includes far more than photographs. One artist featured that stuck out in Christensen’s mind was retired optometrist Dr. Ofstad, one of the first to bring in pieces for display. Ofstad arrived early in the submission window with his handcrafted wooden flutes. “They’re very unique, and most people who knew him would never have suspected that he did art on the side,” Christensen see page 2