Murals Loom Large On Boise Walls

Titan-like soccer players tower over a road, larger-than-life cherubs loom in local coffee houses and a 6-foot rat races across a wall on a downtown parking garage.

It is mural art on a grand scale.

Murals, funded by private and public sources, are continually appearing on walls around the city. The trend started about five years ago, but recently has grown by epic proportions, giving the city an identity beyond potatoes.

“It brings in more of a cultural soul for the city to have these large images in view,” said artist Fred Choate, whose exterior mural on the Record Exchange building downtown is arguably the most well-known mural in Boise.

“Anytime I go to other cities, I see large murals. There aren’t as many here in Boise, but I think that’s changing.”

“I love it. They give the city more aesthetics,” said Cathy Johnson, 28, standing outside the Record Exchange building. “I think Boise needs more murals.”

Kris Tucker, executive director of the Boise City Arts Commission, said the city has plans for five city arts projects in the next few years, and a few of those will be murals. And more and more Boise businesses are turning to murals instead of traditional wall art.

“I think more people in the private sector are recognizing that art adds to the value of the property,” Tucker said. “And it makes them a part of the city in a new way.”