Arts & Culture

Construction is about to begin on the latest project from Boise’s urban renewal agency – Capital City Development Corporation – to make downtown more pedestrian friendly.

Every two years, the City of Boise dubs a new Cultural Ambassador for an organization or program that elevates Boise’s arts and cultural scene. Now, the city has given the honor to MING Studios, an international art center and residency program in downtown Boise. We learn more about the Cultural Ambassador award – which comes with a cash grant – and MING’s accomplishments to earn them the designation. 

Comic Con is a multi-day event that will bring thousands of fans to San Diego this week. To be asked to be a speaker is a high honor and this year Treasure Valley author Devri Walls has been asked to talk about how she creates fantastic villains in her books. Idaho Matters talks to Devri about Comic Con and about how her fantasy book characters deal with real-life problems.

Lions and tigers and ... warthogs? This summer you can expect to see some new friendly — and frightening — faces at the zoo.

Summer means time for fresh berries, from blackberries to strawberries and everything in between. Every August, the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Central Idaho holds its annual Raspberry Festival. In this episode of Edible Idaho, correspondent Guy Hand meets Sister Wilma, then 91, still working in the Monastery's raspberry patch. 

Western Display Fireworks will produce no fewer than 200 fireworks extravaganzas throughout the Northwest on the Fourth of July — that will include the City of Boise's big display in Ann Morrison Park.

On the first Friday of every month, Boise State holds an event for astronomy lovers, inviting the public to stargaze and perhaps learn something new. This month's guest speaker Maki Jackson, from the Japanese-American Citizens League, will host the event discussing the astronomy and legend of Tanabata: The Star Festival.

For pyromaniacs and patriots alike, fireworks on the Fourth of July are a long-standing tradition. For some families, though, it’s also about some extra income.

In the mid-1950s, investigators arrested three men on charges of having sex with teenage boys. Further, they claimed it was part of a child sex ring. There was no such ring, but it led to an episode in Boise history that some considered to be a witch hunt. We speak with Alan Virta, retired archivist at Boise State University, and Seth Randal, director of the film, The Fall of ’55.

The Foote Park Center opens with a focus on the early pioneers of the Treasure Valley. Mary Hallock Foote and Arthur DeWint Foote came to Boise in the late 19th century to create farms across the valley. Mary Ann Arnold and Janet Worthington join the program to talk about the history of this public space.

For the last hoorah of Season 3, we invite some friends to join us on a trip to Melba to explore a place that specializes in the #perfectlyquirky. Content warning: this episodes contains mentions of peacocks, mannequins, Albert Einstein and sounds of a real life pump organ.

On Saturday, the 5th Annual Bosnian and Herzegovinian Heritage Day will be held at Kleiner Park in Meridian. Idaho Matters talks about the history and traditions of the region's Bosnian and Herzegovinian communities. George Prentice visits with Maya Duratovic and Patty Miller from the Basque Museum and Cultural Center in Boise on the role of the city's Basques in helping these European communities settle in Idaho.

The Idaho Shakespeare Festival presents Meredith Willson's The Music Man, the enduring tale of a con-man who brings hope to River City. George Prentice speaks with the production's director, Victoria Bussert, and cast members about this family favorite.

Author Emily Ruskovich grew up in the Idaho Panhandle, on Hoodoo Mountain. Her experiences color the landscape of her International DUBLIN Literary Award-winning novel, Idaho. Ruskovich is currently on the creative writing faculty at Boise State University and she joins Idaho Matters to talk about accepting the prestigious award.

Story Story Night began in 2010 as a private, story-telling soiree of presenters from Boise's literary and performance art communities. Today, their season runs November through April. Story Story Late-Night is the late night version of the show. Host Emma Arnold and artistic director Jodi Eichelberger joins Idaho Matters to give us a preview.

The World Village Fest begins Friday and runs through Sunday at Cecil D. Andrus Park in Boise. Presented by Global Lounge, the festival draws together Idahoans from around the world for diverse music, food, storytelling and film screenings. Idaho Matters talks with the organizers about the event. We speak with Donna Kovaleski and Jill Weigel from Global Lounge and musician Jan Porvas with the band Tora' Dan.

Outhouses are found at nearly every boating and fishing access point along the Salmon River. These restrooms will now be both functional and works of art.

'This Is My Brave' is a community performance of storytellers sharing their experiences in an effort to reduce the stigma attached to mental illness. The group is hosting the next round of performances in Boise and we talk about auditions with producer Siva Laughlin and performer Brooke Lacey.

Author Ridley Pearson has built a career on writing suspense novels for young adult readers. His latest project is writing a comic book portraying the children of Superman and Batman for DC Comics. In his spare time he jams in a band with fellow writers Scott Turrow, Amy Tan and Dave Berry. Pearson is currently on the creative writing staff at Boise State University and he will talk about his writing on the upcoming season of the PBS television series, Kid Stew, featured on Idaho Public Television. Pearson joins Idaho Matters to talk about his work and what inspires his writing.

How is it that we're nearly done with Season Three and we have yet to visit a place on State Street in Boise? We're seriously embarrassed. So, to make up for lost time, we visited a whole strip.

Sarah Sense used to spend her summers visiting her grandmother on the Chitimacha Reservation in Louisiana, learning the tribe's basket weaving traditions. Today, Sense combines traditional Native American imagery with pictures of Hollywood cowboys and other elements of pop culture. Her exhibit, Cowgirls and Indians, is showing at the Boise Art Museum (BAM) through November. We talk with Sarah Sense about her inspirations and BAM executive director Melanie Fales about the decision to exhibit.

The 19th Annual Seven Devils Playwrights Conference invites writers to McCall to present, discuss, develop and workshop plays in progress. The conference is open to the public and free of charge and we explore the event with the conference's executive director, Jeni Mahoney.

Idahoan Jim Jones has been there, done that. An officer in Vietnam, a multi-term attorney general and a State Supreme Court Justice. Jones is also a prolific writer and his latest work documents his in-country tour during the Vietnam War. Jones joins Idaho Matters to talk about Vietnam ... Can't Get You Out of My Mind.