Dalton Gardens artist wins Art on the Green 2026 poster contest

Amber Shirts of Dalton Gardens turned a paintbrush she picked up just two years ago into the image that will represent one of Coeur d’Alene’s biggest summer traditions. Shirts won the 58th annual Art on the Green poster contest with a design chosen from 38 submissions and narrowed to five finalists before a public vote.

The winning image will not stay on a poster. It will be adapted for T-shirts, pins, programs and print materials, making Shirts’ work the visual signature for Art on the Green’s 2026 season. The contest carries a $300 prize, but the larger payoff is the reach: the artwork will travel across festival merchandise and publicity as thousands of people make their way to the North Idaho College grounds.

Art on the Green is scheduled for July 31 through Aug. 2, with festival hours set for 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The festival says it expects more than 130 fine-art booths and more than 30,000 visitors, placing it among the most visible summer events in Kootenai County.

That scale is part of why the poster contest matters beyond the art itself. Art on the Green is presented by Citizens’ Council for the Arts, Inc., an all-volunteer nonprofit that says proceeds from the festival and food court help buy art supplies for local schools and fund three days of free entertainment. The poster becomes the first image many residents and visitors see of that larger civic machine, one that depends on volunteer labor, booth traffic and food sales to keep the weekend free and widely accessible.

Shirts said her inspiration came from Coeur d’Alene’s natural setting and the upbeat energy the festival brings to the community. The design reflects lake views, mountains, light, water and creativity, all familiar elements of the city’s summer identity. That local sense of place has long been central to Art on the Green, whose past poster winners have included artists such as Alan McNiel of Troy, Montana, and last year’s winner, Coeur d’Alene-born-and-raised artist Isabella Henkle.

The contest also highlights how the festival continues to lean on community participation. The organization says more than 300 volunteers produce the event, while its volunteer page says more than 400 people support the 2026 celebration. For a festival built on local energy, Shirts’ poster will serve as the visual shorthand for a weekend that helps define summer in Coeur d’Alene and draws visitors, buyers and artists back to town year after year.