Little-known artists star in Coeur d’Alene’s biggest art show

From photographs recreated in painted and stitched canvases to found pieces morphed into sculptures, the Emerge Collective Pop-Up Show displays art from all mediums.

Friday’s show will feature 43 artists selected by a jury of local art professionals, and display pieces created both in and out of the Emerge studio spaces in Coeur d’Alene.

Works in the Pop-Up Show include sculpted and painted mounted bucks, handmade textiles, and a piece made from abandoned instruments, said Emerge director Jeni Riplinger-Hegsted.

This year, the show will be at the Emerge gallery. In the past, it’s been held in the Wiggett’s Building, a block down Fourth Avenue, but the fire marshal rejected that plan, citing safety concerns in the old building.

Among the featured artists is Erik Laursen. As an international missionary since 2011, he has traveled to 25 countries photographing his experiences. In the Pop-Up Show Laursen will display photos from his missionary work in Ethiopia.

“Erik’s passion for the African people and all of the different countries he’s visited comes across in his photographs, he truly loves the people he’s working with and he’s allowed to truly capture that in his images,” Ripling-Hegsted said.

Along with more than 90 art pieces, the night will feature 17 performances from local bands and dance groups.

Started in 2015, Emerge began as a collection of pop-up shows throughout vacant buildings in Coeur d’Alene and evolved into a permanent gallery space and rentable workspaces, Ripling-Hegsted said.

“Emerge was created because there was a need in Coeur d’Alene to connect the coffee shops and artists,” Riplinger-Hegsted said. “To give the up-and-coming artists a place to show their work.”

Since Emerge moved into its permanent space in September 2015, the gallery has displayed roughly 80 artists in its gallery and used its expanded space to teach community art classes.

“The other, but equally important, part of our program is making art accessible,” Riplinger-Hegsted said.

Community art classes vary in topic from poetry and beginning pottery to photography and youth theater and music, , with each being taught by a different Emerge artist. Many of the works created in the classes are displayed in the Emerge gallery, continuing the organization’s goal to promote budding artists.