First Friday plays host to art receptions around town

By Lyndsie Kiebert
Reader Staff

From local students just dabbling in the world of art to established artists looking to share their work in new studios, Sandpoint will have them all on display Feb. 7 as part of a plethora of First Friday art receptions.

The 16th annual Pend Oreille Arts Council Student Art Show receptions — part of the nonprofit’s mission to support young local artists — are happening in three locations: the POAC Gallery (110 Main St.), the Power House (120 E. Lake St.) and Columbia Bank Plaza (231 Main St.). 

The POAC Gallery will house the work of Sandpoint High students; art by students from Lake Pend Oreille High School, Forrest M. Bird Charter Schools and Clark Fork High School will be shown at the Power House; and third- through sixth-graders in Bonner County schools who participate in Kaleidoscope — POAC’s elementary art education program — will have their art displayed in the Columbia Bank Plaza.

Each reception is 5-7 p.m. and free to attend. All student artwork will remain on display into the spring.

Other receptions, celebrating the work of local artists and photographers, will take place at the same time elsewhere around town as part of Sandpoint’s First Friday events.

A reception at Pend d’Oreille Winery, also hosted by POAC, features the work of local painter Alison Barrows-Young. Her work is largely influenced by nature, and she sees art as an essential element of self-expression as well as a way to make connections.

Barrows-Young’s reception will take place 5-8 p.m. at the winery, 301 Cedar St.

This month’s POAC First Friday events are sponsored by Pend d’Oreille Winery, Kochava and SOK design studio.

Artworks Gallery (214 N. First Ave.) will also host a First Friday event Feb. 7, featuring three new artists on display: photographers Colleen Auble and Brandon Puckett, as well as Diane Kinney, known for repurposing glass candle holders to create her art. The Artworks reception is slated for 5-6:30 p.m.

Those with questions about the POAC events can contact the office at 208-263-6139. Reach Artworks at 208-263-2642.