ABOUT

River Arts was envisioned by friends who discovered they have a shared passion for building community through the arts.

Photo: Butterfly at UYLC Community Garden by Stephanie Newkirk

Our Mission

Our mission is to bring ever-flowing, accessible arts programming to Kamiah and the surrounding areas.

Our Values

We believe that everyone is creative and life is a creative endeavor. We foster spaces of joy, kindness, and respect that honor the creativity of our region.

Location

We are located on the ancestral and present lands of the Nimiipuu/Nez Perce Tribe.
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Our classes take place at our community art studio at 411 Main Street, Suite E
Kamiah, Idaho
as well as other locations in the area. Please check the location for each class description.

Get Involved

Share your creative gifts and build community through the arts! We welcome class proposals. Some of our instructors volunteer their teaching and we are also able to pay instructors. Please send ideas and proposals to: theresa@riverartskamiah.org
or fill out this form:

Class Proposal Form

Co-creators

Theresa Henson has been engaged in community arts development in North Central Idaho since 2010. For eleven years she empowered the arts program at the Monastery of St. Gertrude (Cottonwood, Idaho) with concerts, arts retreats and classes, art exhibits, speaker events, and online programming. She successfully collaborated with regional organizations and the Idaho Commission on the Arts. She writes grants, oversees publicity and marketing (website, storytelling, emails, socials, etc.), develops programming, and engages in fundraising. She is always learning about the cultural wealth of North Central Idaho and is passionate about programming that serves and celebrates the people of the region. Theresa has training and experience in nurturing individual creative development and creative communities. She has a Bachelor of Arts from UC Santa Barbara in English and Art Studio, a certificate in Effective Grant Proposal Writing from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Arts in Transforming Spirituality from Seattle University, and a Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her own creative interests include writing, music, and sculpture. Theresa is a proud mom to Kilara and human companion to dogs Faith and Bennie and cats Gracie and Leo.
Stephanie Newkirk formerly worked as a tax attorney, providing estate planning for a variety of clients and serving community foundations. She has traveled worldwide learning about creative communities in diverse cultures. Her travel focuses on environmental and humanitarian work with organizations such as the Overland Park Rotary Club and Heart to Hearth International. She has traveled to Guatemala to volunteer with WASH, a program with several hygiene and health initiatives that include providing water filters for clean drinking water to schools and homes. While living in Friday Harbor, Washington (San Juan Islands) she joined the Rotary Club and worked on the 36 Weekends program that provides food for children when not at school. The project featured collaborations with the local food co-op and grocery store as well as preparing bags of food to be delivered to the participating children. Her creative projects include conservation photography, cooking, and design. She is a mom and discovered Kamiah through her brother’s family who moved to the area. She helps with legal and financial aspects, program development — and, well, everything! She and her dog Daisy can frequently be seen exploring the banks of the Clearwater. 
Cynthia Valle is a life-long naturalist and creative. From her early years, Cynthia enjoyed being involved in local and international humanitarianism through projects with her church, school, and NGOs such as Habitat for Humanity, Global Humanitarians, and MSF (Doctors Without Borders). But it was a 16-year career devoted to water science/resource management for America’s Public Lands that really opened her eyes to the powerful role art and creativity play in education and community engagement. An Idaho-registered Professional Geologist/Hydrogeologist, Cynthia has enjoyed the peace and humility provided by exploring the area’s majestic rocks and waters. Particularly drawn to the Selway River, in recent years Cynthia has valued partnering with local entity Rishi Yoga on hosting a women’s retreat (W.I.L.D. Together) along the river, where she runs creative modules on leadership, female empowerment, and nature mindfulness. Both personally and professionally, Cynthia loves reconnecting people to nature as a center for learning and a source for healing and creative inspiration. Cynthia currently works for USDA’s Office of International Programs, promoting international collaborations in support of biodiversity, environmental protection, youth education, and socioeconomic development. She and her dog Sunny love to eat eggs together at Hearthstone.
Photo: Theresa Henson (Heart of the Monster in Winter)