URBAN
The art of Jan Boles, Charles Gill,
Michael Miller and Karen Woods

May 18 - September 22, 2013

To celebrate Boise’s Sesquicentennial, Boise Art Museum presents URBAN, an exhibition of Boise City sites by artists Jan Boles, Charles Gill, Michael Miller and Karen Woods.  Over the past decade, these four artists have developed distinctive visions of Boise and bodies of work inspired by the locales of our city.

These four urban-inspired artists use photography and panoramic formats as vehicles for exploring the expansive nature of Boise’s streetscapes. Their spectrum of work ranges from iconic buildings to back alleyways, side roads, automobiles and advertising signs. They record the angles and views that we see every day, but may not have noticed.  From their explorations of the city, the artists have compiled an honest portrayal of Boise buildings and structures, old and new, large and small. Together, the artworks in Urban offer a visual time capsule of Boise.

Works included in the exhibition are on loan from the artists,
the City of Boise and private lenders and drawn from the Museum's Permanent Collection.

William Morris and Alexis Rockman:
The Art of Nature

December 8, 2012 – June 2, 2013

Glass artist William Morris and contemporary painter Alexis Rockman are featured in an exhibition that reflects their individual responses to the beauty of nature.  William Morris’ 38 glass vessels adorned with flora and fauna are paired with Alexis Rockman’s famed grand-scale painting Evolution and other works.  Based on natural history dioramas, Rockman’s paintings served as an inspiration to William Morris in the creation of his elegant vessels.  A film about Morris and the development of his work is being shown, which provides additional insight into the pairing of two of the most accomplished and world renowned American artists of our times.

All works are from
THE GEORGE R. STROEMPLE COLLECTION
A STROEMPLE / STIREK COLLABORATION

Supported in part by OfficeMax Boise Community Fund,
the Robert Lehman Foundation
and the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass,
with additional support provided by Kay Hardy and Gregory Kaslo.

Origins: Objects of Material Culture

February 23, 2013 – January 12, 2014

Origins: Objects of Material Culture features objects from Africa, Papua New Guinea and North America spanning the time period from pre-European contact through present day.  This exhibition encourages audiences to compare and contrast the aesthetics of diverse cultures and the ways these art forms have contributed to our contemporary senses of place, art, community, and identity.

Supported in part by a grant from

with additional support from the Wells Fargo Foundation

Mogollon Culture black-on-white canteen, 900-1150,
clay, pigment,Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher

Wilfred Davis Fletcher Collection: In the Abstract

December 15, 2012 – May 19, 2013

Wilfred Davis Fletcher donated one of the largest and most significant gifts to the Museum in 2002 and 2012 including paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, ceramics and
ethnographic objects, encompassing American art of the
late 20th century.  For more than three decades Mr. Fletcher has been a friend and staunch supporter of BAM, enlivening and enriching BAM’s collections through his generosity. Among the internationally known artists included in the collection are Jonathan Borofsky, Richard Diebenkorn, Nancy Graves, David Hockney, Robert Motherwell, Isamu Noguchi, Robert Rauschenberg and Richard Serra.

Troy Passey: left unsaid

November 24, 2012 – May 19, 2013

Troy Passey bases his artwork on the elements of language and utilizes words and phrases as the centerpiece of his drawings.  Passey comes to art from literature, avowing that “it was the look of the words that drew him to become a visual artist, not a writer.” In his art, texts act both as visual and conceptual elements. He finds inspiration in poetry and literature, at times echoing sentiments from such luminaries as Shakespeare, Dickenson, or Nietzsche as well as verbal references derived from contemporary films or musical lyrics.  Rarely without paper and pencil, Passey records the personal, the private, the loud and the obnoxious, words that have something to say. In his art Passey melds idea with image.

Passey is a fourth-generation Idahoan raised on a farm in Paris, Idaho   He attended Utah State University as an English major, with a minor in art history. In 1995, he attended Boise State University where he received an MA in English.  Passey currently teaches writing as an adjunct professor at Boise State University. 

Billie Grace Lynn: White Elephants

November 17, 2012 – May 19, 2013

This installation of life-size inflatable elephants will afford an opportunity not often found in the wild – the ability to stand directly in front of or beside these animals and contemplate their grand stature.  While admiring the sheer size of the ears, feet and trunk on these monumental mammals, one can understand why some cultures consider elephants to be sacred.  The ghostly herd will gently shift and sway within the space, moving silently in spite of their great mass.

Sponsored by Bev and George Harad

Behind the Scenes!
Watch a short video of the installation process on You Tube
produced by For 91 Days In Idaho. Read about their visit to BAM »

Artist Statement
This installation explores the symbolism inherent in the term “white elephant.”  In particular, white elephants have been considered sacred since ancient times in Asia. The Buddha was conceived after his mother dreamed of a white elephant holding a lotus blossom.  Possessing a white elephant bestowed great prestige on a family, but also a huge burden. Keeping a white elephant was very expensive since it had to be provided with special food and accommodations and could not be used for labor. The gift of a white elephant was considered both a blessing and a curse, and it bankrupted many recipients.

Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god, whose effigy is found at the entrances of homes, businesses, and temples throughout India, is a symbol of the connections and
contradictions between the known and the unknown. Ganesh marks the transitional space between the sacred and profane. He is a protector and destroyer, and the creator and remover of obstacles.

Another literary reference is the English idiom, “the elephant in the room,” meaning an obvious truth that is not spoken or is ignored, usually because it is taboo or embarrassing.  At this point in time, the “white elephant” is an apt metaphor for our contemporary society: too expensive to sustain, too precious to surrender, in a state of denial, and undergoing rapid change.

May this ancient symbol of transformation remind us to respect each other, to remember the past, and to protect the future. As the elephant is able to move silently in spite of its great mass, perhaps we too will learn to step more carefully.

Billie Grace Lynn