FELLOWSHIP INFO
Tundra swans in flight. Photo: Brian Rhodes, Ducks Unlimited. Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores and manages wetlands across North America for waterfowl, other wildlife and people. As these habitats are degraded and lost across the continent, the organization works to reverse the trend.
THE WORK BEGINS
Fellows spend 15 months getting to know the watershed — not just in theory, but on the ground. Through field trips, conversations with local experts, and hands-on learning, they dive deep into the history and present reality of Coeur d'Alene Lake: the long shadow of legacy mining, ongoing water quality concerns, invasive species, algae blooms, and the communities that have lived alongside the lake for generations.
Each artist receives $10,000 to develop and create original work grounded in their own practice. What that looks like is up to them — an installation, a performance, a publication, a community gathering, or something else entirely. The point is work that gets people talking, thinking, and invested in what happens to this watershed.
WHAT WE DO
- Make complex environmental data accessible through artistic interpretation
- Build bridges between traditional ecological knowledge, Indigenous wisdom, and Western science
- Create culturally relevant engagement opportunities that inspire action
- Develop ongoing channels for community input and participation
- Document community stories and connections to the lake
- Generate collaborative solutions across jurisdictions and stakeholders
OUR GOAL
- Enlivening, animating, and bringing attention to our shared watershed and the problems affecting it
- Raising awareness of issues facing Coeur d'Alene Lake and our shared watershed
- Fostering connection across generations, cultures, issues, and geography
- Building participation in a serious public health issue
- Collaborating with new and existing partners and communities
- Bringing new art into the world that informs, inspires, and educates
Coeur d'Alene Lake is at a pivotal moment. A century of mining left an estimated 80 million metric tons of contaminated sediment on the lakebed. Modern growth is adding new pressure through runoff, development, and increasing phosphorus sources. And after decades of shared effort, the Tribe, the State, and the Basin Commission don't fully agree on whether the plans in place today are enough — even as all three keep working the problem from different angles.
Most people who live, work, and recreate on this watershed don't know any of that. Some of what feels harmless today — runoff, development, even recreation — can quietly work against the lake's recovery.
The Living Lake Artist Fellowship exists because this moment needs more than policy. It needs people who can help others see what's at stake, understand how we got here, and imagine what stewardship looks like going forward.
OUR SUPPORTERS
The Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program is a federal initiative funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and managed in our region by Philanthropy Northwest, a nonprofit serving organizations across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
The program was created to make federal funding more accessible to local organizations working on public health and environmental challenges — especially in communities that have historically had limited access to those resources. It supports places facing long-standing challenges like poor air or water quality, extreme weather, or limited access to healthy housing, food, and green spaces.
Uniting artists, scientists, and communities around the health and future of Coeur d'Alene Lake and its watershed"
Contact Us
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The Coeur d'Alene Arts & Culture Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to enrich the community by connecting people through the arts in North Idaho.
Website design by Cedric Kraynak