TR ACY BRINGH URST
BOISE’S PUBLIC ART C O N V E R S A T I O N
“Just having it out there in the world for people to interact with and form their own opinions about is valuable in its own right.”
TR ACY BRINGHURST
(Top) M u r a l a t F r e a k A l l e y (Center) D a v i d C a r m a c k L e w i s ’ m o s t recent work on the downtown Key Financial Center depicts part of the Payette River.
BY EMILY ALE X ANDER Whether seeking out local art or simply wandering downtown in search of something to eat, locals and visitors alike will find it difficult to miss Boise’s extensive and far-reaching displays of public art. Thanks in part to the Percent-for-Art program, which allocates 1.4% of all capital project funds to the integration of murals, sculptures and other installations into Boise street corners and storefronts, the city’s infrastructure has become as unique as its inhabitants. This public art program touches every corner of Boise, from the infamous Freak Alley to the lesser-known sculpture-laden foothills on the outskirts of town.
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One of the newest additions to downtown Boise is David Carmack Lewis’ massive mural on the side of the Key Financial Center building on the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Idaho Street, depicting the South Fork of the Payette River. Lewis, a Portland, Oregon resident, is also the artist behind “The Big Backyard,” a mural on Idaho and 15th streets, and “Absence and Presence,” another on Sixth and Myrtle streets, and he’s spent enough time in Boise to understand that its residents “have a deep connection to the lands that surround them.” His latest project, separated into the rectangular scaffolding of the building, captures small pockets of the natural world situated within the bustling city block. “When you’re walking around downtown, you’re not seeing that land. You’re surrounded by buildings,” Lewis said. “So I guess [the mural] is a way to bring it a little closer.”
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