Hydrant art setting Sandpoint's Art by the Inch campaign on fire

SANDPOINT - Bolstering its already solid reputation as an arts town, Sandpoint plans to expand on its growing public art displays by giving residents a chance to paint the city's fire hydrants.

The project is part of the Sandpoint Arts Commission's Art by the Inch campaign, which collects pledges to help create more public art in downtown Sandpoint.

"Sandpoint has an opportunity to be a real arts community. That's how they advertise the city, they talk about a cute little arts community, but we don't have a lot of public art. This project is one way for us to get that started," Said Carol Deaner, chairman of the Arts Commission.

The painted hydrants will give the city a touch of flair while encouraging residents and tourists to walk downtown, said Deaner.

"I just think it looks nice. It's an opportunity to have public art in the community without costing the community a lot of money," Deaner said.

With only two hydrants painted thus far, the project is very much in its infancy, but commission member Sam McGlothlin envisions a colorful future for Sandpoint's hydrants.

"This is an ongoing project with no completion date," McGlothlin said. "There's a couple hundred hydrants in the city, so we could be at this for a long time."

Local artist Catherine Earle is know throughout North Idaho for her water color paintings, and the native of France was tapped by McGlothlin as one of the first to paint a hydrant.

"I decided to do it mostly to expose the community to more art," Earl said. "I just hope other artists are going to do more. I think its something that people can talk about and its a good memory for people visiting our town."

While the commission would love to involve more members of the area's professional art community, anyone interested in painting is encouraged to submit a design for review. Participants will be given a $20 stipend per hydrant to purchase supplies.

The hydrant project is only one of the many plans the commission has for beautifying the city, including its recent partnership with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Sandpoint Rotary Club and Trouts Unlimited for a art installation along the Bridge Street bridge. The display, which Deaner hopes will be complete by November, will feature steel bull trout silhouettes along the bridge, along with educational placards.

For more information about the hydrant project or to request an application form, e-mail samwell@verizon.net, and to contribute to the Art by the Inch campaign, contact the city of Sandpoint or call Deaner at 264-6404.