‘Local stories’ on display during 46th annual ArtWalk POAC Artist of the Year Jenny Benoit shares her origins and inspirations
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff Opening receptions for the 46th annual ArtWalk, one of the Pend Oreille Arts Council’s most iconic and beloved traditions, are scheduled for Friday, June 16 from 5-8 p.m. at nearly 30 locations throughout Sandpoint. Those receptions are the kickoff to two months of opportunities for local art hounds, who will have the chance to view work from ArtWalk artists through Friday, Sept. 15. POAC Art Administrator Claire Christy told the Reader that this year’s ArtWalk will feature “emerging artists and fresh locations,” including The Pickled Kitchen and The Peppered Mercantile, both on First Avenue, and The Speak Easy, which occupies the former home of the Ross Hall Gallery (323 N. First Ave.). One of the artists featured in this year’s ArtWalk is POAC’s 2023 Artist of the Year, Sandpoint woman Jenny Benoit, whose acrylic creations will be on display at Artworks Gallery (214 N. First Ave.) during the event. 16 / R / June 15, 2023
Benoit shared with the Reader her “defining moment” as an artist, which occurred at only 5 years old. “I found this little plastic table at a garage sale,” she recalled. “I had my allowance — a dollar — and I bought it. I sat there, with one of those bendable lamps, and that was my drawing station. “I loved it so much,” she continued. “I remember looking out the window and seeing my sister playing with the neighborhood kids and thinking, ‘That’s fun, but this is so where I’d rather be.’” Benoit’s childhood was peppered with every excuse to make art, including contests that earned her awards and even a trip to the Ice Capades. “It’s just been a part of me,” she said. Holding college degrees in studio art, art history and visual communication, Benoit has dabbled in the realms of both physical creation on canvas and the world of graphic design. The mother of five spent a considerable amount of time dedicated only to commissioned work until recently when, with her youngest now in school full time, she’s
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Top: “Colors of the Heart,” an acrylic painting by Jenny Benoit. Above right: Benoit works her magic on a piece titled “Awake.” Courtesy photo.