Scherr selected as Festival at Sandpoint poster artist

The Festival at Sandpoint has selected Connie Scherr as its 2021 poster artist. The summer music series takes place July 29-Aug. 8 at Memorial Field.

Connie was selected by past poster artists as the 2020 artist but was unable to showcase her talent when the Festival was canceled due to COVID-19. She said she is looking forward to showcasing her work this summer.

“I want to express how honored I am to be chosen as this year’s poster artist for Sandpoint’s unique and beautiful Festival,” said Scherr.

Born in Minnesota, Scherr grew up and studied art in Southern California before moving to Sandpoint in 1977. Scherr and her husband choose Sandpoint partly because its beauty reminded her of her visits to Minnesota, “minus the dripping humidity, massive mosquito population and eyeball freezing winters.” Scheer and her family also enjoy the pace and sense of community Sandpoint offers.

Scherr started in painting in watercolor and when she moved to Sandpoint, she continued her study under Al Knoke, Katherine Haynes, Zolton Zabo and others. In 2005, Scherr decided to study oil painting. Her first workshop was in Taos, New Mexico, and she returns to the Southwest every year with a group who call themselves the “Ghost Girls” and paints the pueblos and ruins plein air style.

Having lived in and traveled to different places, Scherr finds herself wanting to “dig a little deeper” into each place. It is this desire to know more that influenced her Festival poster artwork. Scherr realized the last 20-25 years she has been trying to capture the “mood” of North Idaho. When conceptualizing the poster art, Scheer thought about the “community, past and present” including the Native American tribes, early explorers and settlers that may have camped along the shores of Lake Pend Oreille and shared the same sense of community and tradition Scherr experiences in Sandpoint. Scherr imagines early residents and visitors trading, sharing food and drink, swapping stories, and playing music. Scherr thinks the Festival is the current embodiment of this history.

Scherr said being chosen to create the Festival poster art made her realize just how much she loves Sandpoint. Unfortunately, there will be no public poster unveiling as is tradition due to the COVID-19 pandemic however, we will share photos on social media, our website and in local media in July. The original artwork will also be on display at the Festival and available for purchase by the highest bidder. To learn more about Scherr and see her work go to www.conniescherr.com.

The Festival at Sandpoint was founded in 1982 as a non-profit with the mission to make exceptional musicians and great performances accessible to the Sandpoint community and surrounding region. Along with making great music accessible, the Festival’s Education Mission also exposes up to 1,000 youth to no-cost music education opportunities year round through its 5th Grade Music Outreach Program, Youth Strings Orchestra, Instrument assistance Program, scholarship program and music camps.

Information: www.festivalatsandpoint.com