Featured Projects

The Public Art program facilitates numerous concurrent public art projects. Dive into project spotlights in various stages of progress: 

The Boise Visual Chronicle (BVC) is a city-owned collection of artwork depicting life in Boise. The collection provides a rich visual document of Boise's changing landscape, people and perspectives and forms a unique portrait of the artistic vitality in the region.

Active every other year, the 2025 BVC opportunity asked a community panel of Boise residents to develop the exhibition's theme and after a public call, selected eight artists to participate. All artists addressed the "American Experiment" through the exploration of contradictory American values, and one artwork received a purchase award and will be added to the BVC collection.

• • Current Status - Exhibit On View
  • Project Process:
    • A community panel of Boise residents developed the exhibition's theme through in depth conversation around what it means to be an American.
    • Out of 30 local artists who responded to the call, the community panel selected eight to be featured in the exhibition.
    • All eight artists explored a variety of contradictory sets of values to create new artwork for the exhibition.
    • The community panel reconvened to select first, second, and third honors and City staff selected a purchase award.
    • The exhibition is on view from August 2025 - March 2026, and many of the artwork are offered for sale. Contact Erma Hayman House for more information.
  • Questions? Please contact us by email or phone.

Exhibition Details

The City's Public Works Department and the Department of Arts & History have partnered in creating an opportunity for a large-scale sculpture centered around water conservation and resiliency of the water resources in the Treasure Valley. As we live in the high desert, our access to water is essential to our livelihood and our recreation. The goal of this piece is to create a sense of interconnection between how we steward the land and our ability to thrive.

• • Current Status - Call closed
  • Artwork Details: Coming soon!
  • Questions? Please contact us by email or phone.

The City of Boise's Department of Arts & History and the Boise Airport have partnered to invite artists and artist teams to create a design for a large-scale vinyl mural planned for the Airport's new Consolidated Rental Car Facility or ConRAC (3483 W. Rickenbacker St., Boise).

The RFQ issued in April 2025 asked artists to consider the following prompt: While acknowledging the past years of history, what could the future of air transportation in Boise look like? How would you represent that in your artwork? 

After a statewide request for qualifications (RFQ), Boise-based author and illustrator Chad Otis has been selected and announced in December 2025. Otis' work will be displayed for three to five years in two locations, on the east façade of the new facility and in the connector, a walkway connecting the rental car facility to the airport. 

• • Current Status - Call closed
  • Artwork Details: The mural is meant to celebrate our spirit of exploration and discovery – from Sacajawea guiding Lewis and Clark to Idaho, to the 100th anniversary of the Boise Airport and its future as a hub of exploration and travel. Otis selected colors like sunbaked gold, a nod to the region's high desert, foothills, and sandstone, along with warm greens found in the beloved Boise River Greenbelt, mountains, trees and sagebrush, and clay-red as a spot of color.
  • Questions? Please contact us by email or phone. 

Project Process:

A community-based selection panel representing members of the Boise Airport Commission and staff, Arts & History Commission, artist community, and ConRAC facility operator and construction company reviewed and scored proposals based on adaptability and appropriateness for public display, color palette, inclusion of historical elements, and the depiction of the future of air transportation. 

Of the 57 submissions received, the panel selected three finalists, who were each awarded a $500 stipend to design concept proposals. The panel then reviewed and scored the finalists' proposals and unanimously selected Chad Otis. Otis will be awarded a $30,000 budget to work alongside the design team to create and support the installation of his artwork. 

The artist is currently working on refining his artwork concept and scaling it to the appropriate facility specifications. With support from Boise design-build studio Trademark Creative, fabrication will begin in early 2026, with installation slated for spring. Otis' work will be dedicated on April 6, 2026, the date of the Boise Airport's Centennial Anniversary, and will serve as a kickoff to the year-long community celebration coinciding with the City of Boise's commemoration of the United States' 250th anniversary.

This opportunity is the first of many to come following the foundation laid by the Boise Airport Arts Master Plan. Written in 2023, this plan outlines the collaborative effort between the Boise Airport and Boise City Department of Arts & History. More opportunities for public art will come in the following years as the City of Boise and Boise Airport both continue to grow. Opportunities at the Airport will be selected by the Public Art Program Team and will follow the same community-based selection panel process as other public art projects. This project is funded by the Boise Airport Enterprise Fund.