Boise Art Museum
The Boise Art Museum (BAM) is located at 670 Julia Davis Drive in Boise, Idaho, and is part of a series of public museums and cultural attractions in Julia Davis Park. It is the permanent home of a growing collection of contemporary realism, modern and contemporary ceramics, as well as the largest public collection of works by acclaimed Idaho outsider artist and bookmaker James Charles Castle. The museum also features major traveling exhibitions and installations throughout the year.
Entrance of BAM in 2016 | |
| Established | 1937 |
|---|---|
| Location | 670 Julia Davis Drive Boise, Idaho |
| Coordinates | 43°36′36″N 116°12′22″W |
| Type | Art museum |
| Collection size | 3,500 works |
| Director | Melanie Fales |
| Curator | Nicole Herden |
| Website | www |
| Boise Art Museum | |
|---|---|
| Former names | Boise Gallery of Art |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco, Egyptian Revival, Postmodern |
| Construction started | February 24th, 1934 |
| Completed | 1937 |
| Renovated | 1972, 1988, 1997 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Tourtellotte & Hummel (1937); Trout Architects and Mark Mack (1988); CSHQA (1997) |
The museum began as the Boise Gallery of Art, opening in 1937 through a partnership between the Boise Art Association, the City of Boise and the Federal Works Progress Administration as a space for people living in the Boise area to see local artists, traveling exhibitions and artwork on loan. The museum's original Art Deco and Egyptian Revival building was renovated in 1972 and again in 1988 when the name was changed to the Boise Art Museum and the museum increased focus on the development of a permanent collection and educational programming. In 1997, the museum was expanded again to include larger administrative offices, storage, a sculpture court and educational studios.
Today the Boise Art Museum is the only AAM accredited museum collecting fine art in Idaho and functions as a center for fine arts in the Treasure Valley.