Idaho’s 10 Best Contemporary Art Galleries
Despite being one of the least densely-populated states in the USA, Idaho has a thriving contemporary arts scene that. From the numerous galleries in the vibrant downtown capital of Boise to the arty town of Ketchum in Sun Valley, named one of America’s Best Small Art Towns in 2013, Idaho’s art scene has a lot to offer.
Boise Art Museum
The Boise Art Museum came about following a gathering of 30 local citizens at the Boise Art Association in 1931 to discuss the city’s need for an art gallery. Six years later the museum, then known as the Boise Art Gallery, was built in downtown Boise within the grounds of the picturesque Julia Davis Park. Since its establishment the Boise Art Museum has amassed a collection of over 3,000 artworks encompassing media such as painting, sculpture and contemporary photography, with a particular focus on 20th-century artists from the Northwest region. The permanent collection includes works by prominent Northwest painter Kenneth Callahan and abstract sculptor Hilda Morris. Temporary exhibitions have included award-winning performance artist and fabric sculptor Nick Cave’s Soundsuits and works by Boise-based painter Troy Passey.
Boise Art Museum, 670 Julia Davis Drive, Boise, ID, USA, +1 208 345 8330
1. Stewart Gallery
Stewart Gallery
Founded in 1987 in downtown Boise by partners Lane Bune and Stephanie Wilde, who is an artist herself, the Stewart Gallery is dedicated to representing a range of established and up-and-coming artists with innovative and experimental practices. The gallery roster includes a small number of talented artists with whom it collaborates on exhibitions, projects and national art fairs. Amongst the artists currently represented are Wesley Anderegg, and his darkly surreal ceramic sculptures, and Matt Duffin who creates otherworldly monochrome etchings in encaustic wax. The gallery has also presented exhibitions featuring the tree based landscapes of Canadian painter Robert Marchessault and by Wyoming based wildlife painter Matt Flint.
Stewart Gallery, 2230 West Main Street, Boise, ID, USA, +1 208 433 0593
2. Gail Severn Gallery
Art Gallery
3. Prichard Art Gallery
Art Gallery
4. The Art Spirit Gallery
The Art Spirit Gallery
Based in the popular lakeside resort town of Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho, The Art Spirit Gallery was established in 1997 by artist and owner Steve Gibbs. Gibbs’ goal was to encourage the exhibition of quality artworks by established Northwest-based artists and to nurture the local emerging talent. The gallery features two floors of exhibition space with changing monthly exhibitions that ensure visitors can view new, vibrant artworks with each visit. The Art Spirit Gallery has hosted exhibitions by artists including mixed media sculptor Robert Grimes and Hawaii born ceramicist Cary Weigand whose figurative sculptures blend a classic sensibility with a nod to fantasy.
The Art Spirit Gallery, 415 Sherman Avenue, Coeur d’Alene, ID, USA, +1 208 765 6006
5. The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho
Building, Museum, Park
6. Willard Arts Center
Art Gallery, Theater
7. NfiniT Gallery
Art Gallery
8. Art Source Gallery
Art Source Gallery
The Art Source Gallery, which recently celebrated its 20th year in operation, was founded in November 1993 and was established as an artist’s cooperative for artists native to Idaho. Situated on downtown Boise’s vibrant Main Street, the Art Source Gallery is currently comprised of around 40 Idaho-based artists whose work is regularly displayed at the gallery and also within the Boise Airport. The gallery accepts artists working across a number of media, including painting, sculpture, ceramics and photography, and includes Boise-based Zella Bardsley, a metal and mixed media artist, and Tony Morse, whose photography captures starkly beautiful scenes and people.
Art Source Gallery, 1015 West Main Street, Boise, ID, USA, +1 208 331 3374
9. Gilman Contemporary
Gilman Contemporary
Established in 2007 in the Sun Valley area town of Ketchum, the Gilman Contemporary gallery was founded to encourage appreciation of and creativity within the contemporary arts. In its short history, the gallery has established a reputation for bringing a variety of high quality artworks to the arty Sun Valley region that are stimulating, captivating and innovative. They have been voted “Best of the Valley” every year since its inception, 2007-2016. With an emphasis on painting, sculpture and photography Gilman Contemporary’s past exhibitions have featured artworks by Texan painter and collage artist Cecil Touchon and Nashville based sculptor Johan Hagaman. Currently they represent Los Angeles based sculptor Hacer Gilman. Contemporary was voted the Best Gallery in the Sun Valley Guide’s Best of the Valley 2012 Awards.
Gilman Contemporary, 661 Sun Valley Road, Ketchum, ID, USA, +1 208 726 7585
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