‘Emerge’ far more than a typical art gallery

Founder created place where artists could uncover their true talents

Clay will spin this Saturday at the Human Rights Education Institute as 10 artists test their ceramic skills.

It’s not a coincidence that the competition, a fundraiser for Emerge Gallery, celebrates ceramic art within the Inland Northwest.

Emerge’s founder and director, Jeni Hegsted, first felt a personal connection to art at the potter’s wheel. That feeling, that sense of belonging in the art world, is what Hegsted nurtures for artists working in any medium, in any stage of their artistic discovery through Emerge.

Saturday at 5 p.m., the Human Rights Education Institute will host the Emerge Ceramic Showdown Throw Down & Cup Frenzy, the first fundraiser specific to Emerge since a fire destroyed six downtown businesses Jan. 20.

Emerge lost access to its gallery, artist studios, workshop space and office in the fire that ravaged a brick building on the 200 block of north Fourth Street. Five businesses were completely lost to the fire: Cole Taylor, Heart of the City Tattoo, Schmidty's Burgers, Michael Score Farmers Insurance Agency, and 720 Haberdashery.

Unlike the other businesses in the building, Emerge’s space was not a total loss. Hegsted received confirmation late last week, however, that her lease will be terminated by the building’s owner.

“It’s much like when you get in a bad car wreck and you’re hoping that the mechanic says that your car is totaled and you’ll be able to get, through insurance, a brand new car,” Hegsted said. “Our space is not totaled, so it means just a partial settlement that we’ll be able to receive. We don’t know what it will look like now that a large part of our settlement was supposed to go toward cleaning and restoration.”

Because Emerge no longer has a space to restore, it will have to fight to get a settlement that allows it to revitalize a new space to house its programming.

Hegsted is following leads for vacant space, but doesn’t have anything secured.

“We are finding it challenging to find the type of space for the price we had,” Hegsted said. “I would love to talk with property owners interested in developing a mixed use space with us; that are interested in supporting the arts.”

Although Emerge has insurance, its policy only covered the contents of its space, not relocating. This is further complicated by the fact that its space is technically, by insurance standards, repairable.

When Hegsted founded Emerge in November 2015, it required an immense amount of time, energy, and money to revitalize what was once an office space with scratchy, denim blue carpet and wall-to-wall cubicles. Hegsted, along with a troop of dedicated volunteers, painted, installed flooring, and lit the gallery. Ventilation for the ceramic studio and kiln had to be installed.

But most importantly, a space was born that could provide a platform that had been lacking in the local art world: a place for artists to break through the threshold that kept their art as something they did on the side, instead of being their profession.

“What stands out about Emerge is that they are a teaching facility whereas our galleries are not instructors,” said Jeanette Laster, executive director of the Human Rights Education Institute. “It’s an emerging artist program.”

Jennifer Drake, chair of the Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission, was a fan of Emerge before she took a position as president of the Emerge board of directors.

“I just was instantly hooked on the concept of having a really cool gallery space for artists who are trying to break that very tricky threshold of doing it on their own, in their spare time, to doing it as a professional,” Drake said. “Emerge was not only giving them the space to show their work in that context, but gave them guidance to allow them to feel comfortable getting to that point.”

In her high school years, Hegsted found it challenging to find a place to belong and feel connected. Her grandmother was a sign painter by trade. She worked out of her home and painted landscapes in her spare time. In her late 80s, Hegsted’s grandmother retired last year. Hegsted admired her and wanted to be an artist herself. She wanted to paint and draw, but, she said with a chuckle, was really bad at it.

“It wasn't until I was in high school and took ceramics that I really felt a connection with myself and art,” Hegsted said. “I realized I needed to work on a more three dimensional plane.”

Hegsted enrolled in North Idaho College and took drawing and painting classes, but kept her focus on sculpture. Art professor Michael Horswill was among the NIC instructors who encouraged Hegsted to forge her own artistic path. That study collided with some really difficult times in Hegsted’s personal life. Her instructors became not just her teachers, but her therapists, her mentors.

“Because of many life change circumstances, I found myself needing to work above full time for the first time in my adult life,” Hegsted said.

She had been volunteering with a program at St. Vincent de Paul called Art On The Edge, bringing art to women and children living in shelters and transitional housing.

She took a position as the program coordinator and later became program director.

“A large part of my job was bringing in artists to share their talents with the people we were working with,” Hegsted said. “As I got to know the artists, I realized that they also were in an at-risk, kind of subgroup of our community, because they had no support, no resources, no platform to jump off of.”

Hegsted decided to do something to highlight the artists who were so giving of their time. She wanted to give them a professional venue that would in return connect them back to their community and give them a sense of ownership in their work.

She’s provided a space where young people could do internships in graphic design or event planning. A place where an artist, at any age, can have their first show. A place where a student can become a teacher.

That is the heart of Emerge. Hegsted believes it is a place where her younger self would have felt at home.

Saturday’s event aims to bring awareness to Emerge's vibrant pottery program and to raise funds to continue the program and help rebuild the Emerge Gallery. Ten potters will throw down in a live competition while artists from throughout the community will have over 300 ceramic cups for sale.

The event is free and open to the public. Pottery from ceramics artists will also be for sale. With a cup purchase, attendees can fill their cup with a range of beverages from beer and wine to local coffee, while giving back to Emerge.

Information: 414 W. Fort Grounds Drive, Coeur d'Alene. 208-818-3342. programming@emergecda.com. emergecda.com