Lizzyhuber
This was my favorite art museum so far! They had a nice mix of different types of art. Unfortunately several areas were closed off and we weren't able to see the dragons or sculpture garden due to a staff setting up for a function. My favorite was the high schoolers art on display. Very creative and meaningful. The plaque descriptions were detailed and easy for a non-artistic person to understand.
PoppyDaniel
I have never been disappointed to go to BAM in my 10 years living in Boise. There is always a new and interesting visiting exhibit and the permanent exhibits are very well done and interesting. For a small town I am always pleasantly surprised by the quality of the arts available here and BAM is one of the pleasant surprises!
TerriH358
The art museum for a small town was nice. It by far was not worth the entry fee, but what else do you do when it's raining.
SLOtownStacy
I'm an art lover and love going to art events, galleries and museums when I travel. This is a nice little museum. We caught it on a day that it was free, so that was nice. We enjoyed the exhibits. And the museum shop was neat, we bought some unique finds.
SamseestheWorld
This was my first visit to the Boise Art Museum and I was disappointed. I wanted to encourage my budding artist who is 12 years old and all she had to say was "Dad, it looks like a little kid drew this stuff." It did not inspire her nor I. One display was a "doll" made from what looked like the cardboard from a shoe box with with marker scrawls on it. A sculpture outside was literally a pile of tires, vinyl records and bowling balls. As a teacher I gain much more inspiration and encouragement from the more talented high school artists. While I might go again someday I would wait until at least the Spring of 2015 when all of the current displays are gone.
JimL239
The BAM features nearly 100% modern/contemporary art, and as far as that goes I have to be honest: some works make me roll my eyes; others are so clever I can’t get over it. Bottom line, I appreciate creativity so I’ll seek that out and see what I think. It's hard to rate this museum for all time because it seemed that most everything on display was a temporary exhibit. Had I been here months ago, I might have rated this a 5 ... or a 1. Fortunately, there were enough interesting pieces to keep me there for a little while.My favorites were the Alexander Calder mobiles (always amazing) and the giant “angle of repose” sculpture by Gail Grinnell. Out in the garden, the “dresses” by Crystal Gough were whimsical and creative. Besides those, I just did a quick “walk by” viewing.The museum is small, so one does not have to budget much time to see everything. Just get a floor plan, make one circuit, then maybe go back and see your favorites again. You can see the whole place in less than an hour. General admission = $6, not too steep. Good news is that membership in the North American Reciprocal Museums program gets you in for free.Bummer policy: photography (flash or not) is prohibited both inside the museum and in the sculpture garden.
AcePortland_OR
I happened to be there on a "free" admission day and expected to it to be jammed with visitors. It was very peaceful and one was able to view the art leisurely. There was an interesting collection displayed.
KathleenStrelich
When I visited with my friends we spent twice as much time as expected viewing the interesting collection of permanent and temporary works. Of note is the installation by Gail Grinnell' as well as the collection of early twentieth century works.
Ducks630
The art is modern, and some of it always "gets" to me. Children could do the same thing. However, there were some creative, interesting things. I can appreciate much of the work, but I won't go back. I will say the building is interesting, they built a new front on an old building, and you can see front of the old structure, and its great doors. They also have a really lovely little gift shop there, I think you could purchase from it without even seeing the museum. Nice thoughtful items.
23sjgoose
As with any art museum you have to check and see what is showing Seattle artist Gail Grinnell is currently here it worth seeing
DiClem
W enjoyed looking around, learning new things and. The garden level was very nice. Clean. We saw a bride and bridal party being photographed. If was a beautiful day with lovely people. Lots to see and explore. The farmers market was also very nice, with a variety of food choices to try, the fudge was delish! I hope you all get to try that reach creamy melt in your mouth chocolate cinnamon.
KonectAviation
I think this is the smallest art museum I've seen with the least artsy pieces and lowest value. There is really only a couple pieces of art in there. The rest is pictures drawn by kids and a couple potatoes sculptures. Don't spend the $6. It's a waste. Spend your time relaxing in the rose garden behind the museum, you'll enjoy it much more.
raybyerley
We were pleasanty surprised by Boise overall.My 18 year old son and I were visiting Boise for a Niece's wedding on Friday August 8 and got into town very early on August 7 and did some sightseeing before the wedding. Overall it was a great day outside in Boise.We stayed at the Grove Hotel, a short walk to the Julia Davis Park and Rose garden. We also stopped and visited the Boise Art Museum, immediately west of the rose garden along Capitol Street, A very nice stop for no cost at either the art museum or rose garden that day.The art Museum appears to have several visiting displays versus a permanent collection to exhibit. The day we went, it had a ceramic exhibt, an emancipation art exhibit, and several others including an unusual cornucopia textile/ paper mache piece hanging from the ceiling. overall very interesting and worth the stop.
tojourneywise
The Boise Art Museum is a gem in downtown Boise. The well-curated exhibits (I saw "Crafting a Continuum" and it was FANTASTIC) present serious art goers with a lot to think about. The smallness of the museum is also welcoming to those who don't want to spend a lot of time inside - you can easily see the offerings in an hour or two. A great little gift shop is tucked inside the entrance, and the museum garden has some amusing sculptures. A very good stop if you're visiting Boise.
CondaD
I also adore visiting the Boise Art Museum. The exhibits are always well done and laid out, with lots of aforethought and planning. The info on the exhibits really adds to the experience as well. For a small museum in a small city, the Boise Art Museum does a great job and is well worth the $6 entry fee.Also, pop into the tiny gift shop--great stuff for all ages!