'Sharing the 'Spirit' is festival poster

The Festival at Sandpoint said its 2021 poster art is “Sharing the Spirit" by Connie Scherr.

A number of years ago, Scherr visited New Mexico and the Southwest where there were paintings of both former and current residents of the area.

"She saw the connection between the past, present and future, and wanted to embody this in her art," according to a press release.

When conceptualizing the poster art, Scherr said she thought about Sandpoint’s community both 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 said the Festival is the current embodiment of this history and describes it as “homely."

“We have been in Sandpoint for so long, and when we go to The Festival, we get the opportunity to see people from my husband’s high school, and friends we haven’t seen in years," she said. "We get to come together again and share food, drinks, stories, listen to music under a tent and enjoy our beautiful surroundings.”

Signed prints of the poster are on sale for $10. The original artwork’s bidding has begun and will continue through the Festival until the winning bid is announced Aug. 8.