Editor’s Note: One of the reasons to attend the AASLH Annual Conference is that it provides an opportunity to visit and see one of our nation’s unique cities. This year, the conference coincides with two events taking place in Boise: the Boise Pride Festival and Art in the Park. The conference takes place September 6-9. See below for more information about Art in the Park.
If you appreciate original works of art, handmade crafts, and unique outdoor experiences, Boise Art Museum’s (BAM) Art in the Park is for you! This beloved cultural event takes place this year from September 8-10. Widely recognized as the premiere art event of its kind in the Northwest, Art in the Park is a rare fundraiser that has stood the test of time and is now celebrating its 69th year!
During the three-day event, BAM features a variety of contemporary arts and crafts created by more than 240 artists from throughout the state, region, and nation. The artists host their booths, which gives shoppers the chance to talk with them and ask questions about their artistic processes. In addition, great food, hands-on art activities for children, and live performances appeal to people of all ages and interests. All purchases benefit the Boise Art Museum, a non-profit, charitable, 501(c)(3) organization that organizes and runs the entire event with the help of hundreds of community volunteers.
Beautiful Julia Davis Park, in the heart of the downtown cultural district, serves as the natural backdrop for Art in the Park. Inside the Boise Art Museum, special exhibitions showcase artists from New York, Chicago, Australia, Japan, Washington, California, and Idaho. Both the park and the art museum are only four blocks from the Boise Center, the conference location.
Boise Art Museum invites you to celebrate creativity, imagination, diversity, and community through the immersive installation The Fractured Giant by internationally-known artist Jacob Hashimoto. Come experience more than 20,000 hand-made paper and bamboo kites suspended from BAM’s 24-foot Sculpture Court ceiling. Then, learn about katazome, the ancient Japanese art of textile dying with stencils, paste-resist, and natural pigments, through the contemporary artworks of seven artists featured in Katazome Today: Migrations of a Japanese Art. These exhibitions and select artworks from Boise Art Museum’s Permanent Collection are all on display inside the museum, which is open the same hours as the Art in the Park. Everyone loves the community spirit and energy created by the artists, food vendors, performers, and event-goers during Art in the Park!
Registration for the 2023 AASLH Annual Conference is open. The early bird registration discount is available through July 28 and the pre-registration deadline is August 18. Registration after August 18 will be available at the conference.
