A new program called the Living Lake Project will use works of art to inform the public about Lake Coeur d'Alene management.

“There was this recognized need to translate the complexity of the lake issues to the public in a more understandable way,” said Jake Garringer, director of strategic engagement at the University of Idaho and a Living Lake steering committee member. “Artists know how to communicate things well, in a way that the public will be interested in.”

Developed in partnership with the Arts and Culture Alliance and funded by a $350,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency administered by Philanthropy Northwest, the Living Lake Project is a 15-month fellowship educating 10 local artists on lake management issues and conservation efforts. By the end of the project, each artist will develop an art piece to communicate these complex issues to the public.

“The beauty of the fellowship structure is its totally open-ended,” said Living Lake Project Director Abby Light. “It could be a story, it could be a workshop, a piece of public art, it could be a performance that travels.”

In the first phase of the program, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe educate artists about lake management issues. They also learn from other organizations, such as the Kootenai Environmental Alliance and the Museum of North Idaho, about the lake’s mining history and environmental advocacy efforts.

“We have artists on one side as mentors, and then people dealing more with the science and the history and the background of the problem,” said Lindsey Beacham, communications strategist at the University of Idaho Water Resources Research Institute and a Living Lake steering committee member. “So the first portion of the project is getting the artists informed.”

"It's hard to look at something so beautiful and think of all the issues with it," said participating artist Christina Villagomez. "I'm definitely more aware of how fragile the lake is."

The artists are currently entering the second phase of the program, in which they begin developing their art projects. They are expected to complete their projects by next summer.

The 10 artists hail from Kootenai, Benewah and Shoshone counties and work in a wide variety of mediums. Among the featured artists is muralist Gabrielle Lewis, who painted the “Welcome to Coeur d’Alene” mural on Sherman Avenue and Third Street, as well as Coeur d’Alene Tribe member and Fancy Dancer World Champion Jonathon Nomee.

“We looked for artists who really had the community engagement aspect, and to take this somewhat vague idea and run with it,” said Light.

At a City Council meeting on Sept. 1, Garringer proposed a plan to expand the Living Lake Project’s reach through collaboration with the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene. The council awarded the university, in partnership with the City of Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission, an $8,000 grant to create a small-works gallery at the Harbor Center’s Riverview Gallery to showcase the artists' work and prepare an associated four-part educational lecture series in early 2027.

“This idea is building on that and kind of running with the topic,” said Garringer. “Tapping into that same theme of, how can we use art to communicate science? How can we use art to promote scientific literacy?”

The name Living Lake represents the idea that, despite facing environmental issues, the lake is still very much alive, Light said. The artists’ projects will focus on the active solutions being implemented to protect the lake for future generations, as well as planned restoration projects.

“Art helps us think about things in different ways, and puts things in a new perspective,” said Light. “It’s helping us imagine different possibilities and re-imagine a future with a really healthy lake.”