Festival at Sandpoint announces poster contest winners
While the names of the Festival at Sandpoint's 2025 poster contests were announced Wednesday, it will be a bit before the works are released to the public.
Perky Smith-Hagadone was selected as the Festival's fine arts poster winner for the 2025 summer music series and Gracie Duncan was selected as the series lineup poster winner. Smith-Hagadone's work, "Wild Cantata", will be unveiled July 8, following the Festival's sponsor appreciation event. Duncan's work will be used for the series lineup poster.
As is tradition, Smith-Hagadone's artwork is donated to the Festival and the subsequent action serves as a fundraiser for the nonprofit organization’s mission. The original art is auctioned, with bidding beginning July 8 and concluding at the Grand Finale performance August 3.
A former longtime public school teacher and principal, Smith-Hagadone earned a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in educational administration at the University of Idaho and a master's degree in zoology from Miami University. The latter degree deepened Smith-Hagadone's interest and practice of environmental education.
A longtime Sandpoint area resident, Smith-Hagadone enjoys hiking, kayaking and playing with family and friends. Inspired by nature, her artwork goes beyond traditional mediums such as watercolor, colored pencils, and digital photography. No medium is out of bounds: wood, clay, rocks, acorns, and even plastic bottle caps; Smith-Hagadone's artwork encompasses any and all objects.
“My lifelong association with the natural world, resplendent with pattern, texture, detail, and color, dictates my intricate and stylized art approach,” Smith-Hagadone said.
Like Smith-Hagadone, Duncan's work was also recognized by the Festival as the North Idaho College student's work was picked for the series lineup poster. The youth, who is pursuing a graphic and web design degree, will receive the Festival's Poster Contest Scholarship.
A lifelong resident of North Idaho, Duncan said she has a deep appreciation for nature.
“I've always had an admiration for Sandpoint and its beauty. It’s a place that embraces art and the outdoors, two things that are dear to me,” Duncan said.
The Festival at Sandpoint’s fine arts poster tradition dates back to the start of the organization in 1983. What started as advertisement and fundraising for the Festival at Sandpoint has now become a way to showcase the community’s many talented artists to celebrate and publicize their work.
Submissions are evaluated on multiple criteria: originality, creativity, execution, quality, demonstrated skill, and how well the art embodied the spirit of the Festival and the Sandpoint region in a creative or innovative way.
The 2025 summer performance series will run from July 24 to Aug. 3 at War Memorial Field. The Festival at Sandpoint features a variety of genres, including pop, rock, country, folk, classical and more.
Information: festivalatsandpoint.com
North Idaho College student Gracie Duncan was selected as the Festival at Sandpoint's series lineup poster winner.