April 16, 2026 By CDHD artAbility Showcase 2026: sneak peek with Sofia Bronaugh There are just under two weeks until the 12th annual artAbility Showcase! The CDHD has been abuzz with Showcase details as we prepare another fantastic event for the artists, their families and friends, and the community. We couldn’t be more excited to gather everyone together for another year of celebrating artistic expression in the Moscow area. This year’s Project Coordinator, Sofia Bronaugh, has been leading the coordination of all the details for the event. She was kind enough to take a short break to talk about it and give us a little insight into what we can expect at this year’s Showcase … Ok, we’ll start off with the basics. What is artAbility and the artAbility Showcase? Sofia: artAbility is a CDHD grant-funded project in the state of Idaho. It is a project that serves adults with disabilities by providing free accessible art workshops. At the end of the year, we host a community-facing showcase that really shows all the art. It gives the participants the opportunity to be a spotlight in the community. When is this year’s Showcase? Sofia: This year’s Showcase is April 29 from 5-7 pm at the Moscow 1912 Center. What room is it in this year? Sofia: It will be in the Great Room. Awesome! Who can attend the artAbility Showcase? Sofia: Everyone! It’s great to have community members come to see the work that other community members have done throughout the year. It really fosters that big community spirit. Yeah! I think it’s a great opportunity for the community to get to know the Center but also interact with new friends. It’s a great way to remove barriers and meet new people. Sofia: Totally. What can visitors expect at this year’s Showcase? Sofia: They can expect a lot of very cool art that they’re not going to expect to see. It’s also a great community feel and presence. They’ll get to meet some cool University of Idaho student trainee who will be working at the event, a community-based art piece, and some refreshments. Oh! That’s right, there will be refreshments! Tell me more about the community-based art piece. Sofia: The community art piece sticks with this year’s theme of lost or vintage art. It will be a mosaic where everyone who attends gets to put a piece of tile onto the canvas. It really shows that each person has a part in the artAbility community, and their part can look different like the different pieces of the tile. I like that. You may not know this off the top of your head, but how many artists and art pieces will be at this year’s Showcase? Sofia: There will be 26 artists and … around 100 to 120 pieces of art this year. That’s a lot! Do you know if this is the most we’ve done? Sofia: I kind of assume so. I think maybe it is with just the … Sofia: With just the tie dye [laughs]. Yeah! Can visitors purchase art this year? Sofia: Yes they can. All the art that is for sale will have the price on the art name tags. They are open for purchase. People can go to our art sales table and purchase them. And is it cash or check? Sofia: It is only cash or check. Perfect – I think you’ve done a great job of sorting out all the details and planning another great event. How does it feel to be the Project Coordinator this year, working on all this? Sofia: It’s been awesome! I feel like I have grown in my leadership skills and my community in Moscow has grown so much. I don’t know if I ever really want to leave. Yeah! What are you going to do? Sofia: I love this space and I love the people here. So, I’m like, ‘oh my gosh …’ You’re going to leave us for student teaching next semester, right? Sofia: Mm hmm, I will student teach in Moscow. Ok, that will be fun! Sofia: And then, I don’t know after that. I’m so grateful. It’s been the best way to end my senior year to coordinate this huge project. When you planned the workshops, did you have an overarching theme in mind? Sofia: Yes! The theme is lost or vintage art. Art that has maybe fallen out of the mainstream a little bit. For example, our tie dye workshop – tie dye, in its modern sense, is from counterculture in the 60s and became more popular in the 70s, but it has been around for a very long time. The dye resisting. We did a stained glass-inspired workshop, which has been around since medieval Europe. We did a spin on that, having it painted, which was really cool and interesting. Sashiko has been around since the 1600s. We also did paper mache, which can be traced back to 600bc in China for head gear. That’s cool! Sofia: Yeah, it’s been really cool. And this year, we had some notable local artists come in and help with the workshops. Sofia: Yes. It was very cool. Now I’m obsessed with Tye-Dye Everything! And Chelsey Byrd was my professor, so getting to see her in a different light, and see how excited she was to do a workshop, was awesome! That’s so great! What was your favorite workshop this year? Sofia: My favorite workshop, I think, was the tie dye, because everyone was so excited for artAbility to start. And having such a notable community figure like Arlene, and really getting to work with her, was so cool. Tie dye is so fun and awesome. Yeah! And all the pieces are so bright and colorful. Sofia: Mm hmm I’m surprised and very impressed at how they all turned out. They all look really cool. Sofia: They’re so cool! The participants did bandanas and aprons, right? Sofia: Mm hmm. The aprons are so great because it’s been something the participants get to wear for every workshop throughout the year. Are they going to be wearing them at the Showcase? Sofia: Yes! If the artists choose to wear them, they can totally wear them. All the students who supported at the workshops and have an apron will be wearing them. Oh nice! That’s a cool idea because then visitors can easily find people to help them buy art! [laughs] Sofia: Exactly [laughs] What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s Showcase? Sofia: Oh! Probably, they … we are thinking about having the patio open to give it a little more ambiance to the whole event. Oh yeah, that will be nice. Sofia: And just seeing it all come together. I can’t wait to see how excited the artists get to have their event. I’m excited for the pre-party. I’m also excited to see how many people come because hopefully this year we’ll have historic numbers. Oh yes, this year, we’ll have many staff coming from across the state to see the Showcase. That’s exciting. Sofia: Yes! What has been the biggest surprise for you in coordinating the artAbility workshops and the Showcase? Sofia: I didn’t realize how much background went into it until I started coordinating it. Last year, I would just go to the workshops, hang out with the participants, and do the art. Now, I’m fully in it. Yeah, you have to plan it. Sofia: I have to plan it, but it’s been so cool. I feel like a little wedding planner sometimes, planning a really small wedding. [laughs] But I think the amount of support I’ve gotten from staff at the office – I have a whole team in my Advisory Group behind me. They’re always willing to help. It’s really awesome to see how I’ve been able to get involve with both students and staff. What has been your favorite part about leading artAbility? Sofia: Probably getting to know everyone on a more personal level. I got to know everyone a lot last year being a student and going to all the artAbility stuff, but this year, I’ve been able to build individual connections with each artist. I feel like, for some reason, since I’m working with their art all the time as well, I’ve gotten even closer to them. You get to see a side of people you wouldn’t normally. Art is kind of that way. Sofia: Yeah, it’s been so cool. Have you had a favorite thing about planning the Showcase? Sofia: Probably coming up with the community-based art piece. I’ve slowly been building the artAbility logo for the mosaic. It’s been really relaxing. How did your role as the Project Coordinator enrich your time at the Center and at the University of Idaho? Sofia: It has done so much! Last year, I was working with the ECLIPSE grant and working directly with Vandal QUEST students in job skills training. It was really cool, but I did feel like I was kind of missing out on the community at the CDHD. Now, to be directly in it, coordinating my own project, and getting to work with all the staff who want to be involved, it has been really nice. As a student, I feel more prepared to go into a teaching career than some of my peers just because I’ve had a lot of direct experience. I’ve had to think outside of the box to plan all aspects of the workshops and the Showcase. A lot of thinking on your feet. Sofia: Mm hmm Which, I would think teachers need a lot of. [laughs] Sofia: Yes! [laughs] What grade levels are you thinking about when you graduate? Sofia: I’m hoping to be in high school, thinking about post-secondary. Kind of what Vandal QUEST does. Oh, ok. Sofia: Eventually, I want to end up there. I’m going to student teach hopefully in primary – K through third special education for half the semester. Then middle school special education. I’m really open to all of it. Yeah, see what you like. Are you going to focus on special education? Sofia: Yes. That’ll be cool. I hope it’s fun! Sofia: I’m looking forward to it. I’ll miss this job. I feel like I have more flexibility. I’ve gotten to explore many different aspects of working with the disability community. Next semester, I’ll be focusing more on IEPs and a very straightforward look of how to make a student’s schooling better, but I really want to make sure I’m able to help make their whole life better. I have all the resources here! It’s good that you’ll be able to take your experience at the CDHD with you into your student teaching. All the resources you’ve found here, you’ll be able to continue to apply them in a new environment. Sofia: Mm hmm! What would you tell someone who knows nothing about artAbility to get them to come to the Showcase? Sofia: Oh! I think something you could run into is people saying, ‘I don’t even like art’, but it doesn’t have to be just about the art. It’s about the community! Come experience a community that is bright and exciting and inclusive. Then stay for the really cool art that you thought you wouldn’t like, and the stories you will hear from people … and the refreshments! The refreshments, of course! I’ve been five times now. Every time I go, I’m surprised. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s cool. They’ve done it again!’ Sofia: They’ve done it! Exactly. I think it’s going to look really cool. Everything is a bit different this year, so it’ll be a whole new experience. Sofia: Yeah! For more information about artAbility, check out the artAbility web page. Join us on April 29 from 5-7 pm at the 1912 Center for the Showcase. If you are unable to attend, there will also be a Digital Showcase launching on April 29 at 4 pm.