Saturday January 03, 2009
Idaho Artists
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See also:The arts in Idaho have experienced a dramatic boost with national recognition. In October 2005, Dan Harpole, Executive Director of Idaho Commission on the Arts, was named Board Director of the National Assembly of States Arts Agencies.
In October of 2005, Mark Hofflund, Managing Director of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, was nominated by President Bush and approved by the United States Senate to serve on the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body of the National Endowment for the Arts. These honors are proof that arts in Idaho are thriving and being recognized elsewhere.
Some Idaho artists have become household names here and abroad--consider Ernest Hemingway, Vardis Fisher, and Ezra Pound. Others are just as well-known to the fellow Idahoans with whom they live and work. By no means an exhaustive list, Idahoans know people such as: visual artists Ward Hooper and Hugh Mossman and photographers Steve Bly, Mark Lisk in Boise; Will Leaton in Kamiah, Mary Bakker in Whitebird, Sam Silverhawk in Clark Fork, Carl Funseth in Oldtown, Kathrine Haynes in Bonners Ferry, Gary Stone and Judie Reeder in Twin Falls, David Stoecklein in Challis, John Easton in Grangeville, Jerry Ginn in Stites; musicians Mickey and the Motor Cars, "Cowboy Rudy" Gonzales, and Rosalie Sorrels; and, writers Pat McManus and Marilynne Robinson.
Be it Marilyn Hansen with her wild horses or the late Fred Ochi with his red barns, Idaho artists bring our imagination and memories to life. In nearly any community, small town or large, residents know their local artists and feel enriched by their presence and creativity. Whether in music, dance, writing or the myriad of visual arts, the act of creation connects us to a deeper part of ourselves. We tend to be inundated with busy schedules and find little time to reach this place of inner strength and peace, but art-either in doing or appreciating--helps us get there. This personal experience strikes a chord of community and understanding between people. A song hauntingly reminiscent of someone long ago, a painting that looks like a place you remember it as a child, or a quilt, the craft, color and pattern of which brings to mind a kindly grandmother-these experiences transform mere elements to a realm of memory, imagination and feeling that leaves us nourished and reinvigorated. I'm enthusiastic about the leadership and direction of Idaho arts. The many forms of artistic expression that abound in Idaho make our state and our communities healthier and stronger, and I look forward to working the Idaho Commission on the Arts to further grow arts in Idaho!
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