The Boise Art Museum Presents the Art of the Graphic Novel

Written by Peter Petrelli Friday, 19 August 2011 01:34

Boise ID.- The Boise Art Museum is pleased to present “Comics at the Crossroads: Art of the Graphic Novel”, an exhibition which explores the work of 40 Northwest comic artists. For decades comics have largely been viewed as light-hearted and amusing stories told through simple line art. But in recent years, comics have moved from the cultural fringes into the artistic and literary mainstream. The Los Angeles Times recently added a Graphic Novel category to its slate of annual Book Prizes, citing the medium as “an expanding part of the book landscape, both aesthetically and commercially". ”Comics at the Crossroads: Art of the Graphic Novel" will be on view at the museum from August 20th through November 27th.

A special feature of the exhibition will be a site-specific large-scale drawing installation by Daniel Duford, an artist and writer whose wall drawings, comics and sculpture are meditations on mythic heroes of American culture. This exhibition is organized by the Maryhill Museum of Art. Despite being called comics, contemporary comic art is often far from humorous. Instead, it regularly addresses a wide array of serious literary, social, cultural, and political issues. "Comics at the Crossroads" examines this diversity as it appears in the work of Northwest comic artists.“The general public hasn’t yet overcome past stereotypes and considered the fine art aspects of comic art. Many comic artists possess a sophisticated design sense and they routinely render the human form in masterful ways,” says Dr. Steven L. Grafe, curator of art at Maryhill and organizer of the exhibition. “Comic art has moved from comic book stores to fine art exhibitions in galleries and art museums.

At the same time, the Northwest has become a haven for comic artists, in part because important publishers are located in Portland and Seattle, and partly because regional comic artists have built a supportive community that continues to attract new artists,” says Grafe. Comics at the Crossroads will feature previously published and unpublished works, such as sample page spreads and book covers by 40 Oregon and Washington-based artists, including Mike Allred, Randy Emberlin, Ellen Forney, Joëlle Jones, Steve Lieber, Gary Martin, Michael Avon Oeming, Craig Thompson, Jim Valentino, and Jim Woodring. The exhibition will also feature related models and toys.One third of the artists featured in the exhibition are affiliated with Portland’s Periscope Studio, a collective of comic artists and writers that is the largest of its kind in the United States. The Portland area is an acknowledged hub of the national comics industry. Between them, Portland and Seattle are home to more than half a dozen major comic publishing houses and many smaller independent ones.

The Boise Art Museum (BAM) is the only AAM accredited art museum in the State of Idaho. It began in 1931 as the Boise Art Association when a group of thirty people interested in promoting art in the city of Boise and throughout the state met in the Crystal Lounge of the Hotel Boise. Their purpose was to organize an association whose duties were to acquire and maintain a suitable gallery, hosting traveling exhibitions and promoting fine art in Boise. Their first official exhibition was held at the Hotel Boise. Although the gallery did not actively collect, it presented local and regional artwork and played an important role in Boise’s growing community. In 1961, the Boise Art Association incorporated as a non-profit organization under the name Boise Gallery of Art. The need for additional space quickly became a priority, and in 1972, the gallery moved to a temporary location as construction began on a year-long expansion program. The 10,000 sq. ft. addition included enlarged galleries, a lobby, sales shop, vault and studio space, allowing the institution to lay the foundation for its current mission, Permanent Collection, exhibition practices and educational programs, including a docent program.

In 1986, the institution successfully completed a capital and endowment campaign allowing for a second renovation, expansion of its galleries, and support of its new facilities. Upon completion of the expansion in 1988, the Museum was renamed Boise Art Museum to reflect its focus on developing its Permanent Collection and education program as well as the display of significant traveling exhibitions. In 1997, BAM embarked upon a multi-million dollar campaign, supported by the City of Boise and the community, which enabled BAM to increase its facilities by 13,800 square feet to a total of 34,800 square feet. The Museum added five more galleries devoted to the display of its Permanent Collection, a 2,775 square foot sculpture court; an education wing comprised of three studios and an interactive children’s gallery; art storage vault, art prep area, and staff offices. BAM plays a leadership role in the cultural life of its community through a growing Permanent Collection which focuses on regional and national artwork, nationally acclaimed exhibitions and an education program that reaches more than 13,000 students each year. Visit the museum's website at ... http://boiseartmuseum.org

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