At 670 Julia Davis Drive, notice the Art Deco lines of the Boise Art Museum rising ahead of you. This building is the permanent home of a growing collection of contemporary realism, modern and contemporary ceramics, and the largest public collection of works by Idaho outsider artist and bookmaker James Charles Castle. Inside, the museum also hosts major traveling exhibitions and installations throughout the year, so there is always something changing to discover.
The institution began as the Boise Gallery of Art, opening in 1937 through a partnership between the Boise Art Association, the City of Boise, and the Federal Works Progress Administration as a space for people in the Boise area to see local artists, traveling exhibitions, and artwork on loan. The original Art Deco and Egyptian Revival building was renovated in 1972 and again in 1988, when the name changed to the Boise Art Museum and the focus shifted toward building a permanent collection and educational programming. In 1997 the museum was expanded to add larger administrative offices, storage, a sculpture court, and educational studios.
That same building, expanded in 1997 with a sculpture court and studios, now shares Julia Davis Park with the city's other museums and cultural attractions.